The defense team of eight defendants for money laundering, among other crimes, sent a communication to Last News denouncing “irregularities and inconsistencies” in the open criminal process. This, in response to the note published this Tuesday where it is reported that the 2nd Control Court of Falcón ordered the opening of a trial against those eight defendants.
The Public Ministry links these eight people to the businessman in the fishing industry César Camacaro, with an unexecuted arrest warrant.
In their brief, the defense lawyers point out that there is “an alleged positive sweep in 2 boats (attributed to Camacaro) carried out from December 5 or 7, 2022″, but they are surprised that it is from January 18, 2023, ” that a persecution against the Camacaro family begins, a month and a half later.”
The defense team draws attention to the defendant Edgar Alexander Bermúdez, a member of the group of eight defendants.
“They allegedly detained Bermúdez for a false ID, when the Public Prosecutor’s Office did not promote the alleged false ID, nor is there any expertise on the ID that Bermúdez allegedly carried and based on this they end up sweeping a boat. What does one thing have to do with the other?”, they question.
Likewise, they warn about an alleged parallel investigation, without the direction of the Public Ministry, carried out by the commander of the Regional Anti-Drug Intelligence Unit No. 13 Falcón, Lieutenant Colonel Jorge José González Hernández on 12/6/22.
“By means of official letter No. GNB-SCJEM-CNA-URIA13: 443-22, the lieutenant records that the vessels that will test positive the next day are under investigation, which is carried out by that unit, it being unlikely that said commander the day before the sweep had stated in a letter that said vessels were already being investigated for drugs, calling into question the procedure carried out by the command and the Prosecutor’s Office,” they stated.
Other observations
· “Another irregularity is the fact that one of the acting officials, namely, the major of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), Diego Armando Perche, investigated for the crime of extortion, where the citizen Cesar Camacaro acts as a victim…the minutes signed by this official indicate verbatim: “carrying out patrimonial scrutiny work”. We ask ourselves: is an alleged drug traffic being investigated or is the property of both the Camacaro family being sought? In the fiscal interrogation carried out on the defendants, all the questions were addressed to the assets of the Camacaro family, there was not a single question aimed at determining an alleged drug traffic, “says the defense lawyers’ document.
· “In the same way, the disappearance of 2 Toyota 2022 trucks was reported to the defendant Pedro Villegas, there being no chain of custody, nor any expertise on said vehicles. No mention is made in the minutes, which was the subject of a complaint before the 2nd Control Court of Falcón, to which Judge Gómez turned a blind eye and did not order the opening of an investigation against the National Anti-Drug Command, nor the Public Ministry, whose representatives were present at the time of the raid, where the vehicles were seized.”
