Prison term extended for judge and former official in case of money-filled suitcases from US
A magistrate maintained the detention of four people investigated for the transfer of 32 suitcases containing foreign currency. Two of them, including a judge, must remain imprisoned for a further 60 days.
Prison term extended for judge and former official in case of money-filled suitcases from US
A judge decided to keep four people behind bars linked to the scandal involving 32 suitcases that arrived from the United States containing cash. The hearings took place over nearly six hours, with the accused connected from Palmasola prison and the magistrate attending in person to meet with lawyers and prosecutors.
The four defendants—a former parliamentarian, a judge in office and two former judicial employees—requested release, arguing they had already served the maximum period of preventive detention. The judge, however, ruled that they still represent a threat to the community and rejected all requests.
The situation became even more complicated for two of them: Judge Hebert Zeballos and former judicial secretary Carlos Diego Numberg Shirasawa received not only a rejection but also an extension of their imprisonment by two additional months.
The origin of this investigation dates back to late November of last year, when a private jet landed at Viru Viru coming from United States territory. On board were former deputy Laura Rojas, two relatives of hers and a man of Uruguayan nationality who is now a fugitive. The cargo consisted of dozens of containers with foreign currency.
Since mid-January, Rojas, Zeballos, Numberg Shirasawa, former official Vicki Ríos Ovando, the representative of a security company and a private security guard have been detained. The Uruguayan citizen, by contrast, is being sought with an international arrest warrant.
According to anti-narcotics detectives and prosecutors, the suitcases were transferred from the air terminal to customs storage and subsequently, in a passenger vehicle escorted by motorcycles, to a security company located in the Villa Primera de Mayo area. That firm belongs to Judge Zeballos. There, the cargo disappeared. During a raid at the same location, law enforcement discovered approximately 80 kilograms of cannabis in liquid form.
In parallel, a prosecution unit specialising in illicit enrichment brought new charges of money laundering against all suspects, requesting the seizure of their assets and their continued imprisonment. Whilst former legislator Rojas remains under house arrest, Zeballos and Numberg Shirasawa were remanded to Palmasola for periods of 90 and 70 days respectively. Three other implicated individuals still must appear for hearing on these new charges.
_Source: El Deber_
Source: El Deber