The Third Court for the Settlement of Criminal Cases, in charge of Judge Baloisa Marquínez, began this Monday the preliminary hearing of the “Lava Jato” case, in which 38 people are prosecuted for the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering .
The Second Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime, represented by Isis Soto, was in charge of reading the prosecutor’s hearing. In the end, Soto asked Judge Marquínez to call 32 of those investigated to trial, sources from the Judicial Branch indicated.
Once the prosecutor made her request, the judge in the case gave the floor to the defense attorneys to present their arguments.
Six legal defenders had presented their counter-arguments. It is expected that this Tuesday the court will continue hearing the arguments of the defenders.
The investigation began in 2014, based on reports linking the now defunct law firm Mossack Fonseca (MF) with the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering, in relation to the so-called “Lava Jato” operation, deployed in Brazil.
The then Brazilian judge Sergio Moro, a key player in the corruption investigations in Brazil, assured that there was evidence that MF provided the necessary services for the opening of offshore companies for at least four agents involved in the money laundering scheme.
On Monday, 34 of the defendants appeared at the hearing.
