Ex prosecutor Mariaca suspected of planning escape from Cantumarca with police help
The Public Ministry is investigating whether Róger Mariaca coordinated a possible evasion from his cell in Potosí. Four police officers were detained for providing him with mobile phones.
Investigating possible escape of ex attorney general from Cantumarca prison
Bolivia's Public Ministry is investigating whether former attorney general Róger Mariaca used mobile phones provided by staff at Cantumarca prison in Potosí to coordinate a possible escape, according to El Deber. Departmental prosecutor Pablo Manrique confirmed that the Public Ministry is tracing calls made from the ex-official's cell to people outside.
"There is a risk that by communicating with other people, a possible escape could be being planned. We are directing the investigation to determine whether or not that possibility exists. The results of the investigation will provide more information," Manrique stated.
The investigations were activated on 22 October, when prison management received information from Intelligence about alleged irregular use of a mobile phone by Mariaca. An initial search of his cell yielded no results, but subsequent interviews with his custodians led investigators to the penitentiary's legal adviser, identified as the alleged provider of one of the devices.
The departmental commander of the Potosí Police, Franklin Villazón, reported that four officers were detained following Intelligence alerts. Villazón identified second subofficial Josué G.M. as the official who allegedly lent his mobile phone to the ex-prosecutor. Three other custodians—Darwin O.H.CH., César E.S.Y. and Noé G.F.—were identified for carrying phones inside the cell area without authorisation or registration.
The Public Ministry initiated tracing of incoming and outgoing calls to identify the interlocutors and establish the content of the communications. Examinations will determine whether the contacts were linked to a potential escape or other facts under investigation.
The four officers are being investigated for the alleged commission of the crime of improper use of influence. Authorities seek to establish the degree of participation of each and whether there were other people involved in the alleged network of privileges within the prison.
Villazón stated that those detained will be placed at the disposal of the Public Ministry for the corresponding charge and that precautionary measures will be requested before the judicial authority.
The possible planning of an escape constitutes, for now, an investigative hypothesis and not a confirmed fact. The investigation will need to establish the objective of the calls and potential criminal responsibilities.
Source: El Deber