ACCUSED PARTIES IN GASOFA CASE SENT TO TRIAL

Guatemala, January 29, 2013. Today, in the GASOFA case (gasoline smuggling), the Supreme Court of Justice (Criminal Chamber) declared the extraordinary annulment remedy filed by CICIG to be admissible. The remedy was filed against a decision issued by the Chamber of Appeals for High-risk Matters, which had ruled out the possibility of trying Marvin Delfino Barrios Marchena (known as Martín) and Emiliano López Velásquez (former PNC officer known as el sireno) on the charge of obstructing the course of justice. The crime consisted in paying active police officers to block investigations into fuel smuggling between Mexico and El Salvador.

The Supreme Court of Justice considered the indictment filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and the evidence offered with the support of CICIG to be sufficient to merit trying the accused parties for the above-mentioned crime.

In the criminal organization involved in smuggling fuel, Barrios Marchena was the ringleader and López Velásquez (former PNC officer) coordinated the necessary support with officers and police chiefs in order to smuggle the fuel entering the country at Tecún Uman II and Pedro de Alvarado.

In the same case, last week, 9 high-ranking PNC officials were found guilty of smuggling and criminal association and sentenced to 18 years in prison.