The continuation of the trial of eight people accused of allegedly planning a kidnapping against the general secretary of the Psuv, Diosdado Cabello, is scheduled for next Thursday, January 29.
The eight defendants were arrested in April 2020 in the state of Monagas and until now there has been no resolution of their criminal proceedings, that is, whether they are guilty or innocent, their relatives explained.
The defendants are identified as Luis Villarroel, Carlos Pérez, César Belfort, Daniel Aguilera, Víctor Farías, Francisco Marcano, Enrique Parada and José Cruz, who are being held in the Oriente Penitentiary Center located in La Pica, Maturín municipality (Monagas). Gabriel Medina, ninth defendant, died in prison on August 29, 2021 due to fluid retention.
The trial against this group of people has been interrupted twice, so they have had to start from scratch. The first trial began on August 16, 2021 but was interrupted on March 28, 2022 due to the rotation of Judge Mayra Febres by Laura Velásquez in the 4th Trial Court of Monagas, Maturín extension.
At the time that first trial was interrupted, 21 sessions had passed where 80% of the evidence collected by the Public Ministry had been aired.
The new trial against the eight began on May 30, 2022 and was interrupted in September of that same year, due to the absences of the Public Ministry, according to reports.
The third opportunity to prosecute the eight defendants began on February 2, 2023 before the Monagas Trial Court 4 by Judge Giarnidela Martoreli, who held the last session on January 15. That day, they called for next Thursday, January 29.
The respective defenses of the accused have requested to dispense with the missing pieces of evidence, this, to speed up the trial and proceed to the closure of the debate, explained a family member.
