Two police officers jailed for providing mobile phones to former prosecutor Mariaca in Cantumarca
Two police officers receive four months' preventive detention in Uyuni for supplying phones to former prosecutor Mariaca. The Public Prosecutor's Office is tracing calls to Entel, Tigo and Viva.
Two police officers sent to Uyuni for providing mobile phones to Mariaca in his cell
Two police officers were remanded with preventive detention to the Uyuni prison in Potosí for allegedly having provided mobile phones to former state prosecutor Róger Mariaca whilst serving his sentence in Cantumarca prison. The case, according to El Deber, also resulted in a parallel investigation to determine the scope of communications made from the cell.
Judge Raúl Estrada ordered four months' preventive detention for Josué G. M. and Noé G. F., charged with alleged improper use of influence. Three other investigated individuals — Darwin O. H. C., César E. S. Y. and César Fabián J. — received house arrest, national travel bans and additional restrictions, together with the assignment of permanent custodians.
The detention hearing lasted more than ten hours. Both the defence teams and a panel of prosecutors filed appeals; the Public Prosecutor's Office had requested preventive detention for all five defendants.
Call tracing with three operators
The Public Prosecutor's Office requested technical reports from operators Entel, Tigo and Viva to identify the numbers contacted from the mobile device and establish the full scope of communications. The departmental police commander, Colonel Franklin Villazón, informed El Deber that a preliminary examination of the telephone already enabled the detection of calls made to lawyers from inside the cell.
Nevertheless, the definitive results depend on the technical information still awaited from the three operators, in order to determine whether there were contacts with other recipients inside or outside the country.
Escape hypothesis and possible payment
The investigation is also examining whether there was any payment or incentive for provision of the device, a matter that has not yet been confirmed. One line of investigation seeks to establish whether the calls were linked to a possible escape plan or to contacts related to the criminal organisation attributed to Mariaca. The police clarified that both possibilities must be verified and that there is as yet no conclusion about the purpose of the communications.
The case came to light after telephone calls were detected from inside the former prosecutor's cell. Investigations pointed to non-commissioned officer Josué G. M., who worked as legal adviser to the penitentiary and allegedly provided his mobile phone to the inmate.
Enhanced security measures at Cantumarca
Following the discovery, Mariaca was transferred to an observation cell, separated from the rest of the prison population. The police officers responsible for his direct custody were replaced and placed at the disposal of the relevant authorities for alleged failures in security controls.
The new custody staff will rotate every 24 hours, according to Colonel Villazón, as part of the measures adopted to prevent irregularities in the prison. The investigation continues to establish individual responsibilities of those involved and to identify all recipients of calls made from Cantumarca.
Source: El Deber