MARÍA DEL ROSARIO MELGAR MARTÍNEZ TO STAND TRIAL IN RIVERA CASE

Guatemala, January 23, 2013. Today, the Eighth Criminal Court ruled to send María del Rosario Melgar Martínez to trial for criminal association and the murder of former Ministry of the Interior advisor, Víctor Rivera. This will be the second trial that Melgar Martínez faces, after she was sent to trial last week in the El Infiernito case.

In the pre-trial hearing to open oral arguments, Judge Marta Sierra de Stalling, after analyzing conclusive evidence presented by the Special Anti-impunity Prosecutor's Bureau (FECI) and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), ruled that the accused party should stand trial.

Examples of the evidence offered include witness statements linking the accused to the criminal organization responsible for planning and executing the crime against Rivera, bank account statements and ballistics reports.

The judge programmed the hearing to submit evidence for January 28, and the Sixth Court of Criminal Sentencing will hold the trial.

In these criminal proceedings, CICIG is providing technical support.

First proceeding
On January 10, First Court A for High-risk Matters ruled to send María del Rosario Melgar Martínez to trial for the extrajudicial killing of Edwin Estuardo Santa Cruz Rodríguez. The latter had escaped from the El Infiernito prison in 2005.

Background
Víctor Rivera, former Ministry of the Interior advisor, was murdered on April 8, 2008 whilst travelling along Vista Hermosa Boulevard (Zone 15) by members of a criminal structure led by drug trafficker Jorge Mario Paredes Córdova, alias "el gordo Paredes".

On May 9, 2011, the First Court for High-risk matters issued prison sentences of between 5 and 46 years to 9 people who were involved in the murder.