The Judiciary, aligned with the Sandinista Front, scheduled for next Thursday, March 3, the trial “oral and public” against the former presidential candidate and former president of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCh), Cristiana Chamorro Barrios, for the alleged crimes of abusive management, ideological falsehood, appropriation and improper retention, and laundering of money, property, and assets. The hearing will be held at the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, El Chipote.
In the same case, Chamorro’s brother, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Barrios -accused for the alleged crime of abusive management, ideological falsehood, appropriation and improper retention-; two former employees of the FVBCh, Walter Gómez and Marcos Fletes —indicted for the same alleged crimes as Cristiana—; and Pedro Vásquez, Cristiana’s personal driver, who is accused of being a necessary collaborator for the crime of money laundering.
The former candidate has been under house arrest since June 2, 2021, after a search of more than five hours at her home and a strong police deployment and patrols. For eight months, Chamorro’s house has been in the custody of officials.
The defense attorneys have denounced “secret hearings” against their clients, and that like the rest of the political prisoners, held in El Chipote, they have not been allowed to meet with their clients or access the files.
The trial will be in charge of Luden Martín Quiroz García, of the Ninth Criminal District Court of Managua. This court sentenced the opposition to ten in prison Ana Margarita Vijil, leader of the Renovating Democratic Union (Unamos), for the alleged crime of “undermining national integrity.” For the same charge, he sentenced the former diplomat and director of the Ciudadanos por la Libertad (CxL) party to nine years in prison. Mauricio Diaz Davila; and the sports writer and blogger, Miguel Mendoza.
Start of the Ortega hunt
The capture of the former employees of the Foundation and, later, of Chamorro, was the beginning of a hunt by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo against political and civil leaders, who challenged their permanence in power, on the eve of the general votes of 2021, rated as a “farce” by the international community and the country’s opposition.
Chamorro was leading the national opinion polls, among more than five candidates. She was summoned twice to the Prosecutor’s Office and on one of these, she declared herself as a “innocent and free citizen”.
He pointed out that all international organizations that allocate funds to Nicaragua, through the FVBCh, “are with us”; after he Department of State of the United States will reject the allegations of alleged money laundering against the Nicaraguan NGO.
However, the Ortega regime continued its repressive escalation and de facto inhibited her by fabricating a judicial accusation against her, after two weeks of alleged investigation against the Foundation, which involved interrogations of more than 50 journalists, press directors, and workers of the organization that was consolidated as an icon of the defense of press freedom in Nicaragua.
In the investigation against the Foundation, the Public Ministry accused the journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, director of CONFIDENTIALfor alleged money laundering, abusive management, and improper appropriation and retention, despite the fact that neither Chamorro nor CONFIDENTIAL have any legal, economic, or institutional link with the FVBCh. The journalist is currently in the exile for the second timeand since 2018 he has been a victim of the confiscation of the offices of his companies.
