Virginia Messi
05/31/2020 - 15:26
- Clarín.com
- Society
That three court judges, a prosecutor and 16 defenses (of 44 accused) agree on something is not an everyday thing ... except in Comodoro Py. However it happened. And as a consequence, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, the narco mega-trial against the Peruvian Marco Estrada Gonzáles, a historical traffic kingpin in the village 1.11.14 of Bajo Flores, will restart.
After a first unsuccessful attempt in early May, the president of the Federal Oral Court No. 3, Javier Ríos, managed to conform all parties and - although a final general trial will be held this Monday - it already sounds like the date of the resumption of hearings next Wednesday, June 10.
With a video conferencing system specific to the Judiciary (similar to Zoom) developed on the free platform "Jitsi Meet", the idea is that almost all the participants in the oral trial intervene in the hearing remotely .
Two of the judges - Andrés Basso and Fernando Machado Pelloni, the members -, the prosecutor Diego Velasco and the defense attorneys will do so from their respective houses.
Meanwhile, 40 of the 44 accused who are imprisoned will be able to listen and see everything from videoconference rooms installed in the different prisons where they are housed.
The beginning of the mega-trial against the gang of the Peruvian drug lord "Marcos".
As for the public, it is expected that they can access the "meeting" with a link, although with the microphone muted and, perhaps, the video camera canceled.
In principle, only Judge Ríos, the legal secretary and the witnesses would be authorized to go to Comodoro Py, but complying with the strict hygiene protocol prepared by the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation when the quarantine began, around March 20. This includes, first of all, a mandatory temperature control to enter the Retiro building.
"In case of giving 37.5, the corresponding protocol should be activated against a possible case of COVID-19 and a deep cleaning and disinfection of the spaces where the person / s would have passed should be practiced," stipulates that protocol in the that it is also required a chinstrap and plastic wrap to cover audio and video equipment if used.
The arrest of a gang linked to drug lord Marco Estrada Gonzáles, in the villa 1-11-14.
Although defense attorneys preferred to make a face-to-face trial to listen to the nearly 100 missing witnesses, the peak of coronavirus infections that has been registered in CABA finally tipped the balance towards remote debate.
An important element for not making a "face-to-face" judgment was the report of the Federal Penitentiary Service (SPF) in which it is recommended "to reduce the circulation of the inmates in order to avoid possible contagions". More in this case that would involve the transfer of 40 people .
With 12 videoconference rooms in Devoto, 16 in the Marcos Paz prison and another 16 in Ezeiza, the SPF seems to be in a position to face the challenge of video trials efficiently.
They are all informed
On Friday May 29, the president of the Federal Oral Court 3 informed the parties that everything was ready to begin the trials of the videoconferencing system. These were done over the weekend, successfully, and will continue tomorrow.
"The Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation reported that only the courtrooms located on the ground floor of the Comodoro Py building are enabled, which at first glance is seen to be small to house, with the current sanitary guidelines, the parties that records this process. In turn, the SPF reported that in the face of social, preventive and compulsory isolation, the General Directorate of the Correctional Regime approved the use of alternative computer platforms such as Zoom, Skype or the like, "Judge Ríos began arguing for propose a new system of remote audiences.
The cover of the web page that published the profile of Marco Estrada Gonzáles, where he defends himself in full oral trial.
According to the proposal of the president of the court, "of the approximately 95 remaining witnesses , it would begin with the personnel of the security forces, who will be able to depose from the dependencies in which they work or, in person, at the headquarters of the Court before the undersigned and the actuary ".
What is not yet clear is what will be done with the witnesses who live in Villa 1.11.14 of Bajo Flores. This neighborhood, which was for decades the epicenter of the power of "Marcos", today is also one of the largest foci of coronavirus infection in the City of Buenos Aires.
"Marcos", in the jacuzzi of his house in a country of Ezeiza.
The mega-trial began in June last year amid strong security measures. In addition to the Peruvian drug lord, 57, his wife, Silvana Salazar (47), and his mother-in-law, Lily Lucila Enríquez Alarcón (67), are tried for the trafficking of cocaine, marijuana and paco in the town that gave them millionaire revenues .
It is the third process against them : the previous ones closed them under the figure of "abbreviated trial" in 6 years each, and they ended up unified in a single sentence of 10.
"Marcos", if found responsible for being the organizer of an "illicit association dedicated to the sale of drugs", could receive a sentence of 20 years.
EMJ