The Supreme Court of Preparatory Investigation will re-evaluate on August 16 the request of the Public Ministry to impose an exit ban on the country Former Attorney General, Patricia Benavidesin the investigation against him for allegedly leading a criminal organization that sought to benefit from tax decisions and public service contracts.
On May 10th, The Supreme Court judge for preliminary investigation, Juan Carlos Checkley, rejected a request from the Public Prosecutor’s Office to prohibit Patricia Benavides from leaving the countrya decision that was appealed and overturned by the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court judges considered that the evidence presented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office was not evaluated as a whole to impose such a restriction on the freedom of the former Attorney General.
Additionally, Judge Checkley recused himself from hearing this case. The Supreme Court has appointed provisional Supreme Court Judge Saúl Peña Farfán to oversee the case against Patricia Benavideshis sister Enma and others for alleged criminal organization, as the supreme judge of the preparatory investigation.
Supreme Prosecutor Delia Espinoza requests that Patricia Benavides not be allowed to travel abroad
At the hearing scheduled for August 16, starting at 3:00 p.m., The recent trip that Benavides made to Chile, between July 24 and 28, will be evaluated.Supreme Court Prosecutor Delia Espinoza criticized the fact that Benavides’ defense reported the trip just two hours before the plane left Jorge Chávez Airport.
In addition, the reasons for the trip were not accurately reported and regarding the former Attorney General’s place of residence in Santiago de Chile during her stay in that country. Authorities feared that Patricia Benavides would take refuge in Chile, awaiting extradition proceedings.
“Dr. Patricia Benavides has just returned to Peru from Chile, as she announced from the beginning. This way she silences the people of bad faith who only exuded hatred,” said her lawyer, Jorge del Castillo, in a message on the social network X upon the former judge’s return.
The prosecution requested that he be banned from leaving the country due to a possible procedural risk that Benavides Vargas might try to escape given his connection to a criminal organization.The Supreme Court has noted that in these cases it must be clear that the organization is still operational and able to provide protection to its members.
