the take military manual of the branches of the pawn shop Prisa, Joyas Alicia SA, and the home of businessman Mario Hurtado Jiménez, who is allegedly being investigated for “money laundering, tax fraud, and other crimes committed under the protection of said commercial entities,” constitutes a “conviction” and the imposition of “the most serious penalty” without even having been tried, warned an expert in the administration of justice in Nicaragua.
The specialist explained that the case is riddled with procedural irregularities, since, according to the regime’s authorities, Hurtado is under “investigation”, which means that he has not yet “been charged before a judge.”
“Only with an alleged investigation they cancel and close four companies or companies and confiscate their assets. In other words, they imposed the most serious penalties without a trial,” said the specialist. In such a way that “There would no longer be a need for a trial because he has already been previously convicted and punished. They only need to apply the prison sentence, ”he commented.
Last August 15, Police agents invaded the headquarters plus the 38 branches of Prisaarresting its general manager, Óscar Durán, and other officials, in addition to seizing computers, work equipment, and objects that were deposited as collateral for the loans granted by the company owned by Hurtado.
Along with haste, The seven headquarters of Joyas Alicia SA were also invaded.who bought, polished and repaired silver jewelry to resell them, arresting the manager, Anielka Santamaría, loading in the process with “the jewelry that was ready to be sent to customers, as well as work machines, money, checks, and computers”, denounced Hurtado at the time.
Magistrate plays police
Nine days later, on August 24, the alleged “investigation” against of the businessman Nicaraguan-Mexican was announced by the Vice President of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ), Marvin Aguilar García, together with representatives of four other State institutions, which represents another irregularity.
Judge Aguilar, in theory, should “guarantee the rights and the presumption of innocence of the allegedly investigated, who has not even been prosecuted yet, ”warns the specialist. But, in practice, he presents himself as a “police spokesman.”
“Never, in any serious country in the world, do the magistrates of a court, except those of the supreme court, read accusations or pronounce themselves on a case that has not even been started. They could read a judgment of cassation, but this role of police spokesperson for a magistrate is evidence of how (the regime) use and abuse the Supreme Court of Justice”, commented the specialist.
For his part, businessman Mario Hurtado assured upon learning of the alleged investigation that it is a “political revenge”, because many years ago he left the ranks of the Sandinista Front, and later collaborated with the newspaper La Prensa, as well as with a liberal faction. . “All this is a punishment because they consider me a traitor. Some believe that political revenge is the way to develop Nicaragua, but we know that this is not the case”, he told CONFIDENTIAL.
“Tax Fraud”
On the other hand, the specialist indicated that —pfor the first time—the regime mentions in its alleged criminal charges the “tax fraud” Until now, fiscal issues have been resolved administratively. “Except for the blackmail of the Managua Mayor’s Office, which was initiating criminal trials against defaulters,” he commented.
Prisa is a pawn shop with a presence in all the departmental capitals of the country, and in several other municipalities, from where some 150 employees served almost 22,000 clients, according to data provided by Hurtado, plus others available on its website.
Alicia Jewelry, for its part, is a small company that has seven branches (six in Managua and one in Juigalpa), where they buy silver jewelry in poor condition to repair, clean and sell it, in addition to polishing and selling the silver jewelry that people come to sell, (or pawn and then can not withdraw). They also work with gold, but very little. “1% maybe,” said the businessman.
When detailing the losses, Hurtado explained that Prisa is valued at three million dollars, (half of that amount, made up of the objects left in pledge), to which he adds the value of his kidnapped house in Ticuantepe: 600 square meters of construction with a swimming pool, tennis court, etc., in an area of four blocks, which costs an additional 1.6 million dollars, “and another two hundred to two hundred fifty thousand dollars”, for Alicia Jewels, which includes silver, machines, work equipment, checks and cash.
