Nahuel Morandini and Roque Villegas
spent more than
50 days in prison in Jujuy
for having published ironic tweets and photos on social networks that allude to an alleged infidelity of the wife of the former governor of the province, the radical
Gerardo Morales
.
Although they will continue to be prosecuted and are headed to trial, this Monday the prosecutor ordered that they be released since he considers that there is no procedural risk.
The resolution was made in a hearing held this Monday morning and represents a turn in the case, which began on January 4 when Tulia Snopek, partner of the former provincial president, filed a complaint with Justice.
The complaints sought to keep both of them in prison and requested the arrest of a third defendant.
"At the request of the prosecutor, Nahuel and Roque's prison will end tomorrow.
Now we are going for acquittal
," said relatives of the accused cited by El Tribuno de Jujuy.
The cessation of preventive detention does not separate the accused from the case, in which they are accused of the crimes of identity suppression to the detriment of a minor and psychological violence in the context of gender violence.
Both would be brought to trial in a case being carried out by Judge Pablo Pullen Llermanos.
The case reached national politics this Monday.
President Javier Milei expressed his "concern" about the arrests.
His spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, highlighted in a press conference the need for individual freedoms to be respected in the northern province.
Marcelo Nahuel Morandini, a 45-year-old environmental engineer and university professor, was accused of publishing on December 19 on his personal X account an ironic tweet that said: “The teki carnival has been held in Jujuy for several years now.” (a scam that tourists fall into).
But this year it is not done.
And it all seems to be because one of the tekis teaches the former governor's wife how to play the quena.
Impossible to get bored in kukuy.”
At the same time, Humberto Roque Villegas, 42, was also arrested, accused of spreading photos of Morales' daughter on Facebook, insinuating that the girl was born as a product of the relationship of Morales' wife, Tulia Snopek, with a musician from the folkloric group Los Tekis.
The prosecutor in the case, Hugo Walter Rondón, from the Special Prosecutor's Office for Economic Crimes and Crimes against Public Administration No. 1 of Jujuy, considered that these publications affect Snopek and also his daughter.
“The marital status of a totally innocent person was disturbed, causing damage that is practically impossible to compensate,” said the prosecutor in relation to the girl, according to the newspaper La Nación.
Now the judicial official has decided to cease the detention, since he considers that there is no procedural risk for the continuity of the process.
The fact of keeping two people detained for publishing ironic or direct comments about the infidelity of a politician's partner has no known precedent in the country.
Conviction of the crimes of psychological injuries and alteration of the identity of a minor can represent a sentence of eight years in prison.
Morandini's family denounced that the professor's detention was irregular.
"Nahuel and Roque spent three days in 'La chancha', which is the punishment cell, naked, in a 3x3 cell, in total darkness and eating with their hands. That was their welcome to the Gorriti prison," said the sister-in-law. from Morandini to AM750.