The emblematic case of judicial corruption, “Los Cuellos Blancos del Puerto” (The White Collars of Puerto) has entered a decisive stage. The only effective collaborator in the process, former superior judge Walter Ríos Montalvo, is facing difficulties in proving the criminal acts involving 90 people and has begun to receive psychiatric treatment.
As if that were not enough, the prosecution agreed to open a case against Ríos for defamatory accusations, after considering that he had lied when accusing lawyer José Luis Castillo, one of the main defendants of the criminal organization headed by the former president of the Superior Court of Callao.
More than two and a half years ago the jSupreme Court Hugo Nunez Julca approved the effective collaboration of former magistrate Walter Ríoswho was sentenced to 12 years in prison, when for the most serious crime he was sentenced to 30 years. As part of the court agreement, Ríos provided incriminating information that allowed prosecutors to open files on 40 cases perpetrated by “Los Cuellos Blancos del Puerto.”
The problems arose during the hearings in which Ríos was to testify corroborating the facts.
The prosecutor of the special team in the case, Andy Rodríguez Domínguez, publicly complained about the actions of Walter Ríos because he expressed different versions of the same corruption incident, which made the work of the prosecutors difficult.
Supreme Prosecutor Franklin Tomy informs prosecutor Magaly Quiroz about the health problems of former judge Ríos
“We want to mention that Mr. Walter Rios, to tell the truth, has changed his version of events countless times. And it is known to the entire Special Team (of the White Collars of the Port), that he has changed his version of events over and over again. (…,) Indeed, in various investigations he has first had one version of events, then another version of events (…)”, said prosecutor Andy Rodríguez.
Prosecutor Rodríguez said that the entire team in the Los Cuellos Blancos del Puerto case was aware of Walter Ríos’ difficulties in proving the facts he revealed as an effective collaborator. However, shortly after, Andy Rodríguez was removed from the Special Team for allegedly having ordered the surveillance of journalists César Romero, from La República, and Juan Carlos Tafur, from Sudaca.
This newspaper located prosecutor Rodríguez and he stated that he “did not remember” what he had said in the hearing about Walter Ríos’ conduct.
Former Puerto Rican prosecutor Andy Rodríguez said that Ríos changed his version of events at every moment.
Another fact that questions the effective collaboration of Walter Ríos Montalvo comes from the Public Ministry itself. prosecutor Miluska Plasencia Nunez ordered the formalization and continuation of the preliminary investigation against Walter Ríos for alleged slanderous accusation and personal cover-up to the detriment of lawyer José Luis Castillo Alva, one of the notorious accused in the case “Los Cuellos Blancos del Puerto”.
According to the resolution of the prosecutor Plasencia, there are grounds to open a case against Walter Ríos because he attributed to the lawyer Castillo being one of the leaders of the criminal organization. That is, Ríos supposedly lied by implicating José Luis Castillo Alva, calling into question the statements of the former president of the court of Callao as an effective collaborator.
The prosecutor Miluska Plasencia has considered that “there are sufficient elements of conviction that reveal the commission of the crime investigated (slanderous accusation) that links Walter Ríos Montalvo”, because “the statements made (by Ríos) within the framework of the investigation called Los Cuellos Blancos del Puerto, constitute a falsehood”.
According to the prosecutor’s resolution, Walter Ríos charged the lawyer José Luis Castillo Alva with facts that correspond to the operator José Luis Cavassa Roncalla, another key component of “The White Collars of the Port”.
“(Walter Ríos) knowingly attributed the authorship of criminal acts apparently committed by citizen José Luis Cavassa Roncalla to José Luis Castillio Alva,” explains prosecutor Plasencia, who points out that Ríos lied in his effective collaboration to cover up another person: “This accusation was brought to light (…), with the intention of evading criminal prosecution of a third party and attributing the criminal conduct to the now aggrieved party (Castillo).”
La República left several messages for the coordinator of the Special Team, prosecutor Magaly Quiroz Caballero, asking for an interview about the case of Walter Ríos and the development of the trials initiated based on his statements as an effective collaborator, but she decided not to answer.
A WORRYING PICTURE
Another question that this newspaper wanted to ask prosecutor Magaly Quiroz is about the state of health of Walter Ríos, which has required the evaluation of a psychiatrist, and whether this will affect the presence of the former judge in the hearings as an effective collaborator.
Indeed, on January 30 of this year, the supreme prosecutor Franklin Tomy López, informed the prosecutor Magaly Quiroz, about the physical condition of Walter Ríos: “The inmate Walter Ríos Montalvo is currently receiving psychiatric assistance, as well as medical treatment for the gastrointestinal and dental ailments that have been afflicting him.”
Resolution of prosecutor Plasencia ordering the investigation of Ríos for lying.
Sources related to the case mentioned that it is very likely that Walter Ríos’ health deficiencies could be affecting his abilities during the hearings when he testifies as an effective collaborator.
Walter Ríos’ lawyer, Adolfo Olaechea Plath, confirmed that his client is receiving specialized care, although he ruled out that his illnesses influence his judicial actions.
“Walter Ríos is in good health. Like all inmates in a closed-regime prison, he receives psychological help to overcome certain anxiety disorders, but his version of events does not change anything else. It is consistent and coherent,” Olaechea, a lawyer, told La República.
Ríos’ lawyer added that the former judge’s state of health has not influenced his statements.
“It is logical that a person who is not a common criminal, who faces crimes of function, and who is within a closed regime, logically affects anyone. He has created some anxiety, but everything he has said has already been fully corroborated with evidence by the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office for Corruption of Public Officials. It is not that Dr. Walter Ríos wants to change his version. Everything has been accredited with evidence,” said Olaechea.
Regarding the fiscal investigation against Walter Ríos for having attributed false crimes to lawyer José Luis Castillo Alva, Adolfo Olaechea responded that the accusation lacks support.
“What Castillo Alva says is nonsense because he was placed in preventive detention following a ruling that identified his responsibility for the commission of the crimes of influence peddling in a criminal organization,” said Olaechea.
But the truth is that the case that questions Walter Ríos’ credibility as a collaborator continues its course in the office of prosecutor Miluska Plasencia.
Prosecutor Miluska Plasencia accepted José Castillo’s complaint against Walter Ríos for attributing false facts to him.
