Former Security Minister Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde was found guilty of abusive acts, but was acquitted of embezzlement, the most serious crime the prosecutor’s office charged him with.
The Fifth Court sentenced the former Minister of Security and Justice, Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde, to three years in prison. To the former Deputy Minister of Justice, Antonio Lopez, and the former Director of Punitive Centres, Marcos Tulio Lima, on charges of committing arbitrary acts.
However, the court acquitted the former minister and former deputy director of penal centers, Orlando Elias Molina Ríos, of the most serious crime of which the financial entity accused them: embezzlement.
On the other hand, the judges decided that Ramirez Landaverde will only serve three months of the sentence, which will be replaced by public utility work, because he has already spent more than two years in prison.
“The court issued a symbolic sentence for the crime of arbitrary acts. I say symbolic because it immediately replaced it with acts of public benefit, because it imposed a reduced sentence, meaning that it did not find a greater seriousness in the facts for which they were judged. Defense lawyer Pedro Cruz announced that the defendants had been convicted.
Regarding the crime of embezzlement, the defense lawyer explained that it was proven that at no time was any money seized by the defendants.
“The crime of embezzlement, which was the most serious crime, was declared innocent, and it was possible to concretely determine, as we have maintained all this time, that there had been no allocation of funds, any cents, by the people who were in charge,” Cruz said.
After hearing the ruling, Ramírez Landaverde stated that the judges considered that the crime of abusive acts occurred because Asocambio’s board of directors approved the purchase of two vehicles and the lease of two properties.
Ivania Cruz, lawyer for the Committee for Political Prisoners (COVAPS), explained that although Asocambio carried out these acts, the crime of arbitrary acts did not constitute as the judges claimed, because it was proven that the vehicles and property were not obtained for personal purposes. Use them, but for the benefit of penal centers.
“From my point of view (the ruling) was the way to make adjustments so that something sticks… because the accused party cannot look completely bad,” Landaverde declared.
#CasoAsocambio | El Tribunal Quinto de Sentencia de San Salvador condenó a tres años de prisión por actos arbitrarios a los exfuncionarios Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde, Antonio López, Marcos Tulio Lima y otros. Sustituyó por trabajo de utilidad pública para tres meses debido a que… pic.twitter.com/Abelrf7HuB
— Radio YSUCA 91.7 FM (@ysuca91siete) October 25, 2024
The former Minister of Security, who remained under house arrest for two months, was released after listening to the reading of the verdict.
“At the moment, what is important is that the truth exists, but be careful, the truth is not in the ruling, the truth is in the process of being implemented, and thank God that the truth is written, recorded, and in the documents of the public hearing,” he said.
For his part, the former Inspector General of the Directorate of Punitive Centers, Ramon Roque Martir, was sentenced to two years in prison for the crime of arbitrary acts, because he spent two years and eight months in prison, and was also released.
He said, “I believe that this ruling was not independent. I am not satisfied with the ruling that was issued against me. I believe that it is not independent because there was great media and political pressure.”
In the case of the ANDA workers, all were acquitted of the crime of illegal bribery; The court even apologized to the workers, because the public prosecutor’s office was unable to present a valid argument to prove the accusation.
After gaining his freedom, which he should never have lost, Mauricio Ramírez, together with his fellow members of the commission, visited the crypt of San Romero to thank him for his intercession, because in the light of his wisdom and condemnation of the injustices, it had worked. pic.twitter.com/DQjzeadJzp
– COFAPPES (@cofappes) October 25, 2024
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