SANTO DOMINGO.- The lawyers of Gonzalo Castillo, accused in the Squid case for alleged corruption, affirmed this Thursday that they are “fully prepared” to present the defense arguments with which they will demonstrate the truth before the accusation of the Public Ministry against the former Minister of Public Works.
Jurist Laura Acosta declared that the defense has maintained a collaborative behavior with the court and that there is no reason attributable to her client or her lawyers that justifies new postponements.
“We are ready for this case to be known once and for all,” said the togada.
Acosta considered reasonable the decision of the Fourth Investigative Court of the National District to verify, through the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF), the health condition of former senator Rafael Calderón, an accused who did not appear at the hearing and who has a medical license for 30 days.
The lawyer maintained that the defense has acted with complete willingness to move the procedure forward, recalling that they have presented proposals for a hearing schedule and have provided all the required documentation. “We have been collaborative with the court to move this forward,” he said.
He also emphasized: “We leave the decision of whether or not to separate former Senator Calderón to the best judgment of the court.”
“This is already the third time that the start of our defense has been delayed. We have been ready for a long time. We did not ask for his separation for consistency, but the court must foresee what will happen if he cannot rejoin in thirty days. The new Criminal Procedure Code offers tools to act with prudence and guarantee the continuity of the process, and this scenario requires that assessment,” he highlighted.
During today’s hearing, the Public Ministry favored a postponement until tomorrow, Friday at 2:00 in the afternoon. For the defense, this new delay does not respond to their own actions, but to external circumstances that, they assured, should not continue to affect the right of their client to have the accusation known in a reasonable time.
Castillo’s legal team is made up of Laura Acosta, Nassef Perdomo and Luis Rivas.
