Marset Case: Colonel Ferrufino's lawyer denounces altered videos and alerts to his safety in prison
Lawyer Freddy Velásquez warns that Colonel Ferrufino is in danger in prison due to his anti-narcotics history and questions the validity of videos from the operation.
Defence of Colonel Ferrufino challenges arrest and requests expert analysis of operation videos
Lawyer Freddy Velásquez, representing Colonel Juan Marcelo Ferrufino Rojas—former national director of Police Intelligence—publicly challenged his client's arrest, carried out on Friday in La Paz. According to El Deber, Ferrufino is under investigation for alleged irregularities in the operation that resulted in the capture of Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset, conducted on 13 March in the Las Palmas area of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
"If they wanted Colonel Ferrufino to present himself, he is a police officer who works. A summons and he would have appeared, and there would have been no problem," Velásquez stated in an interview with El Deber. The lawyer described the arrest order as "unnecessary".
Charges and case context
Ferrufino faces investigation alongside two other police officers for the alleged crimes of embezzlement, breach of duty, theft, extortion and passive bribery. The case was reopened following the emergence of new evidence linked to the removal of suitcases, money and valuables from the house where Marset was found. The investigation also seeks to clarify the whereabouts of a third safe containing luxury watches which, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office, was not initially reported. The colonel's procedural status has yet to be determined by the Public Prosecutor.
The defence: geolocation as an alibi
Velásquez maintained that his client was not present at the location where Marset was captured. During his statement before the Public Prosecutor's Office, Ferrufino presented geolocation data and recordings to prove his location at the time of the operation.
"Under a universal principle of location, you cannot be in two places at the same time. He does not participate in anything whatsoever where Mr Marset was found," the lawyer insisted. According to Velásquez, Ferrufino participated in the detention of Marset's security team and his sister, Tatiana Marset, approximately one kilometre from the searched premises.
The defence lawyer also noted that, according to the timescales he referenced during the interview—between approximately 02:55 and 03:08—it was two other lieutenant colonels who entered the building, captured Marset and transported him to the airport. He therefore stated that the investigation must precisely define the role of each of those involved.
Questioned videos: "That video is cut"
Velásquez requested that technical expert analysis be carried out on the images from security cameras that form part of the case file. In his view, at least one of the videos had been cut and altered, and he considered it essential that experts determine its authenticity and also analyse the audio recordings.
"That video is cut. That video is altered," the lawyer stated. The fiscal investigation contemplates the review of recordings that documented the removal of goods from the house on 13 March itself.
Alert over colonel's safety in prison
The defence's most urgent concern points to Ferrufino's physical integrity. Velásquez warned that his client had participated throughout his career in operations against drug trafficking and that several people detained during those procedures are currently held in different prisons throughout the country.
"His life is in danger," the lawyer stated, when alerting to the risks the colonel would face in the event of being transferred to a penitentiary centre.
Velásquez also questioned the order of the process: "If they want to investigate, first investigate, then detain; do not detain and then decide to investigate."
Informative statement and next steps
According to the defence lawyer, Ferrufino gave an informative statement before the Public Prosecutor's Office on the evening of Friday 23 October, with the assistance of another lawyer from his defence team, since Velásquez was unable to be present due to personal and health reasons.
The lawyer awaits the Public Prosecutor's formal imputación requirement and anticipated that the defence will present its arguments before a cautelar judge. He clarified that a previous complaint against Ferrufino had initially been rejected, and that the case was resumed when new elements emerged regarding the alleged irregularities in the operation. The charges remain in the investigation phase.
Source: El Deber