The name of Carlos Rafael Espinoza Castillo jumped into the public arena in mid-2018, it became an “octopus” with more than a dozen cases against political prisoners. To his credit is the case of journalist and presidential candidate Miguel Mora. This Friday, July 15, Espinoza is one of the 23 officials of the Nicaraguan Judiciary who were sanctioned by the United States Department of State.
The United States assures that the Sandinista prosecutor “undermined democratic processes or institutions by exercising prosecutorial discretion to present false charges in order to imprison opponents of the regime in the run-up to the national elections.”
Espinoza Castillo is originally from Chontales. He was a prosecutor in Jinotega and came to Managua as a “trusted” official of the Attorney General of the Republic, the sanctioned Ana Julia Guido, former deputy director of the National Police, according to what a former Public Ministry official revealed to Article 66.
On February 4, Espinoza Castillo was in charge of accusing the owner of 100% Noticias for violating Law 1055, the Sovereignty Law, and charging him with “conspiracy to undermine national integrity,” a crime invented to persecute, imprison and prosecute opponents of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
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At the end of the trial, the prosecutor requested the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and disqualification from holding public office, five days later Mora was sentenced to 13 years in prison and disqualified from holding public office for the same period.
The Prosecutor’s Office offered five posts from Mora’s Twitter profile as evidence, using four policemen as “witnesses”, the same ones who carried out the illegal search of the house.
To his credit are the political cases against the opponents of Matagalpa María Esperanza Sánchez and Víctor Manuel Soza; Jeisi Junieth Lagos; Jose Ivan Gonzalez; the political prisoners of Nindirí Denis Antonio García and Bernardo José Ramos; Nestor Eduardo Montealto; Jose Daniel Perez.
He also accused the monimboseños Hader González and Cristian David Meneses for various crimes; Sergio Betta; and the opposition and former Sandinista councilman from Masaya Benjamín Gutiérrez Collado known as “Tikay”.
Related news: These were the “evidence” and “witnesses” that “incriminated” the journalist Miguel Mora
Espinoza Castillo was the prosecutor in the case of political prisoner Benjamín Gutiérrez Collado, a well-known opponent of the regime who was a Sandinista official. He was accused of the alleged crimes of “trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic drugs and other controlled substances.” He was also accused of “illegal possession or possession of firearms and ammunition to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua.
The prosecutor was also the accuser of the self-convened from Matagalpa Víctor Soza and María Esperanza Sánchez, both were found guilty of the crime of drug trafficking. Espinoza Castillo requested the maximum penalty for that crime, 15 years, and the maximum of 800 days fine.
The same prosecutor brought criminal proceedings against political prisoners Bernardo José Ramos Galo and veterinarian Denis Antonio García Jirón. The opponents were found guilty for the crime of “manufacturing, trafficking, possession and use of restricted weapons or explosive devices to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua.” His defense attorney, Julio Montenegro, from the Ombudsman showed that Galo and García had been deprived of liberty for three days when the events for which they were accused occurred.
Espinoza Castillo also accused the young Sergio José Beteta Carrillo, originally from Managua, for waving a Nicaraguan flag near the Central American University (UCA). The prosecutor managed to get the Seventh District Criminal Trial Judge, Melvin Leopoldo Vargas, another of those sanctioned this day, to sentence Beteta to five years and nine, plus 300 days fines for the alleged crimes of drug trafficking and illegal carrying of weapons. .
But that did not end there, the Ortega prosecutor Carlos Rafael Espinoza Castillo appealed the sentence to request the maximum sentence. The sentence was also appealed by Beteta’s lawyer, Dr. Julio Montenegro. The lawyer considered that Daniel Ortega’s regime intended to demand the maximum sentence to rage against the opponent.
Espinoza Castillo can only be awarded a relevant case that was made public and achieved a guilty verdict that favored the victim, it was for the murder of Rachel Rostrán, a 15-year-old teenager beaten to death and playing “the hangman” with Walter Darbelles, the victim’s boyfriend and two other friends. The trial lasted more than two years, was rescheduled 27 times and was interrupted on three others due to the absence of the members of the Jury.
Espinoza Castillo is in charge of “manufacturing the evidence” in the cases of the political prisoners assigned to him, he is part of a group of prosecutors specially assigned to accuse prisoners of conscience who oppose the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega.
