ACCUSED IN ILLEGAL ADOPTIONS CASE SENT TO PRISON

Guatemala, March 29, 2011. The Fourth Trial Court revoked the order that had allowed Marvin Josué Bran Galindo to be released, and ordered his immediate arrest for manipulating a witness to testify in his favour. Bran Galindo is charged with participating in illegal adoptions procedures.

The order of the court was handed down in response to the request of the Special Prosecutor's Unit of the MP to Support CICIG (UEFAC), which had requested that the alternative measures awarded be revoked. The measures that had been granted to Bran Galindo allowed him to be released after being charged with human trafficking and criminal association.

Among the evidence presented by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) at the proceedings was a witness who testified that the accused individual had given him a script with instructions on what he should testify in order to clear him of the accusations.

Charge added
At a second hearing held in the same case, the aforementioned court charged Alma Beatriz Valle Flores with criminal association. Valle Flores is accused of participating in illegal adoptions procedures. This charge was added to the already existing charges of human trafficking and use of forged documents, which were the subject of her initial appearance.

As the accused excused herself from appearing at the hearing due to alleged health problems, the judge ordered that she undertake a medical examination to determine the truthfulness of her claim. If the claim proved to be untrue, the judge said that the accused would be remanded in custody.

In the present case, nine other people have been prosecuted for their alleged involvement in illegal adoptions.