The whereabouts of the former mayor of Antofagasta, Karen Rojo, is still uncertain. On March 24, Rojo escaped the country with an effective prison sentence for corruption, arriving in the Netherlands, specifically in Amsterdam, the same day that the Supreme Court rejected an appeal for annulment filed by her defense.
Despite Interpol’s attempts to locate her, the Chilean justice system, more than a month after her escape, still does not have concrete information about her whereabouts, although an extradition request is still active for her to return to Chile to serve the sentence of 5 years and 1 day for crimes of tax fraud. In 40 days in a state of rebellion, the former communal chief had shown no signs of life, until today, when she asked the court to change her lawyers.
His defense, headed by lawyer César Ramos, was the one who appeared in the arguments before the Supreme Court, where he was unable to annul the trial in which he was sentenced to an emotional prison sentence after being found guilty of fraud, for almost $23 million. In addition, she requested to liquidate her debt to the Treasury. Despite this, and without her prior notice, she Red asked for the change of those who will represent her from now on.
In a letter, the authority maintains that “I come in this act to appoint a sponsor attorney to Mr. Daniel Mackinnon and I confer power of attorney to the attorney Mr. Felipe Moraga, who may act jointly or separately indistinctly signing these as a sign of acceptance.” In the current process, there is no evidence that her former lawyers have renounced sponsoring her in this case, although it is expected that in the next few hours the removal of Rojo’s defense will take place.
in conversation with Third, to the head of the Antofagasta Guarantee Court, magistrate Alejandro González, the situation of former mayor Rojo did not seem like an “any case”, and he decided to impose a requirement to specify his request: appear via video call to attest to his decision to renew his defending.
“Prior to resolving, and in accordance with the provisions of article 7 of Law 20,886, the sponsorship and power of attorney must be ratified by videoconference before the minister of faith within the court, within the fifth day, or at the beginning of the hearing, if this were prior”, establishes the resolution.
The situation leaves Rojo at a crossroads, who does not want to have any contact with Chilean judicial authorities, especially considering that he has a red search alert against him, and any connection to an electronic device would provide evidence of his current whereabouts. . Rojo is currently a fugitive from national justice, and his movements are followed by the PDI and the Public Ministry.
This video call should take place in the next few hours, since, otherwise, it is likely that new lawyers cannot be assigned to his case, so if the sponsorship of his lawyer César Ramos is revoked, Rojo will be without a defense, but since that is not possible, the Public Criminal Defender will take the case.
The lawyers who maintained the representation of the former communal chief presented their resignation. In this way, Jorge Bofill, César Ramos and Sebastián Bofill indicated that “it is not possible for us to inform the status of the trial to our client, given that, as is publicly known, Mrs. Karen Rojo is outside the country, with an unknown whereabouts and no contact with this defense.”
