The legal defense of the former governor of Veracruz Javier Duarte (2010-2016), sentenced to nine years in prison for criminal association and money laundering, trusts that Justice will grant him early release this Wednesday by complying with “all the requirements” established by the law.
“We do not see any possibility that (his departure) can be prevented. All the requirements are met (…) and all the documents that support it are incorporated as evidence,” said Duarte’s lawyer, Pablo Campuzano, in statements to the media before entering the North Prison in the Mexican capital, where the hearing will take place to decide whether to grant early release to the former politician.
The defense demands his release five months before he completes his sentence, since they consider that he meets all the legal requirements, such as good behavior or having more than 70 percent of the sentence imposed.
The judicial hearing, which is expected to last several hours due to the number of expected witnesses, will be chaired by Ángela Zamorano, control magistrate of the Federal Criminal Justice Center (CJPF).
Although the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) opposes it, considering that this measure could hinder pending proceedings, Duarte’s lawyer stressed that there is no “risk” that his freedom will be denied: “He has already fulfilled the sentence imposed on him, he complies with the benefits established by law.”
And he added that due to “certain political issues” this measure could not be requested until today.
In the event that he leaves the North Prison, where he has been held since 2017, Campuzano pointed out that it could be in “a matter of hours, as soon as the administrative procedures are carried out and his release is ordered, if the judge so deems it.”
“On our side is all the disposition, we know that we comply with the requirements and the only thing we want is for it to be resolved soon in accordance with the law,” he concluded.
The former governor of Veracruz, affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) until he was expelled from its ranks, was tainted and finally convicted of a corruption case for associating with other people to divert resources from his government using shell companies and loan sharks.
Due to the accusations, the PRI expelled him from its ranks and issued a public apology, however, the politician had already fled the country along with his wife.
In April 2017, Interpol and the Guatemalan civil police arrested Duarte Ochoa in that country and he was extradited to Mexico in July of that same year.
In September 2018, a federal judge sentenced Duarte to nine years in prison and a fine of more than 58,000 pesos, after the former governor pleaded guilty to money laundering and criminal association.
With information from EFE.
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