«You are violating my right to freedom of expression that my father defended so much and I am obliged to continue defending that legacy left by my father, the Martyr of Public Liberties, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, and my mother, the former president Violeta Barrios”, said the political prisoner Christiana Chamorro Barrios to his executioner, the judge Luden Martin Quiroz Garciaof the Ninth Criminal District Court of Managua.
The words of the former presidential candidate were pronounced after being found guilty of alleged money laundering offenses and misappropriation and retention, the night of Friday, March 11. Daniel Ortega’s justice processed her along with her brother Pedro Joaquin Chamorro and former employees of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCh) Freight Marks and Walter Gomezand the driver Peter Vasquez.
«You are criminalizing me for training journalists and justice is being used not to tell the truth. If I have been the channel to receive these donations and train journalists, it is because I am an honest person. I have never taken money from the Foundation for my own benefit because I was educated with great values and I have not had the need to do so, “he added, reveals the medium Confidentialdirected by the journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro.
For its part, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Barrios He rubbed Judge Quiroz that “you represent the country” and swore at the trial by the memory of his father, mother, wife and four children. “I have not committed any crime. I am not guilty of what they are accusing me of,” he said.
The former deputy explained that he never received any money from the Foundation and for ten years he only managed a family estate (the Farallón four-apartment condominium in San Juan del Sur) that was supported by each of the Chamorro Barrios brothers. “I have a clear conscience that I did the right things,” he reiterated.
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Likewise, former employees of the organization Walter Gomez and Freight Marks They maintained their innocence before their executioners. “I’m innocent. I thank God for the wife and children he gave me, because it is for them that I would not do anything wrong. In my 30 years of working in different institutions I have never committed a crime, “said Gómez.
Cristiana’s personal driver, Peter Vasquez, He stressed that “his hands have never been stained by doing illicit things.” Vásquez’s wife, Norma Vega, told the independent media outlet that she fears that the political prisoner will suffer a stroke or cardiac arrest in the cells of the dictatorship, and she hopes that the regime will grant “house arrest” to her husband. “He suffers from dizziness, has lost about 40 pounds, has bruises on his arms and has raised blood pressure,” she explained.
political trial
The regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo used 20 policemen, two workers from the Ministry of the Interior (Migob) and nine civilians as witnesses during the judicial process carried out behind closed doors.
Among the officers is the captain Jairo Ramirez Carrionan expert from the Directorate of Economic Investigations (DIE), who was responsible for preparing the financial analysis of the case and accepted that the 99-page document was a “preliminary report.”
The media also reveals that the person in charge of the Directorate of Registration and Control of Associations of the Migob, Franya Urey Blandon, He acknowledged that he was unaware of the specific reasons for the accusations.
Defense attorneys were not allowed to speak for more than three minutes with their clients and claim that the foundation’s funds were never proven to be illicit. “You can’t launder money if there’s no dirty money,” advocates said.
Prosecutor asks between 8 to 13 years in prison
The Public Ministry led by the sanctioned attorney general, Ana Julia Guido, requested against Christian Chamorro five years in prison for alleged money laundering and three years for improper appropriation and retention, for a total of eight years in prison plus a fine equivalent to three times the value of the money allegedly laundered.
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Against the former vice president of the Foundation Pedro Joaquin Chamorro requested six years for alleged misappropriation and improper retention, and three years for abusive management, for a sum of nine years in prison; plus disqualification from exercising the profession for the same period and a 300-day fine.
The prosecution requested against Walter Gomez and Freight Marks two years for ideological falsification, two for abusive actions, plus disqualification from practicing the profession for the same period; an aggravated sentence of four years plus a 300-day fine for misappropriation, five years for money laundering plus a fine of three times the value of the alleged money laundered. For a total of 13 years in prison.
The regime requested seven years in prison against Peter Vasquez for being allegedly a “necessary collaborator for the crime of money laundering”.
