Former prosecutor Mariaca fears for his life in Cantumarca prison following second preventive detention
Róger Mariaca, former Attorney General of the State, warned the judge about his security in Cantumarca, where detainees that he himself investigated are held.
Former Attorney General Mariaca reports risk to his life in Cantumarca prison
Róger Mariaca, former Attorney General of the State, expressed to the judge his fear about what might happen to him inside Cantumarca prison, to which he was sent under preventive detention for six months. According to El Deber, Mariaca warned that in the same facility there are persons whom he investigated during his tenure at the helm of the Public Ministry.
"We recently clarified a case of murder of Brazilian citizens in San Ignacio de Velasco, in the department of Santa Cruz. One of those investigated was sent to these prisons and especially to the one you are sending me to, your honour," Mariaca stated before the judicial authority.
The former prosecutor summarised his situation with a direct phrase: "My life is in the hands of the Judicial Branch and of you."
Mariaca was apprehended on 30 September and transferred to El Alto. On 3 October he faced a first proceeding together with other former officials of the Public Ministry, where all received preventive detention in different penitentiary facilities. This first case links him to an alleged criminal structure dedicated to the protection of drug trafficking and the trafficking of controlled substances.
The new measure—six additional months of preventive imprisonment—arises from an investigation into alleged money laundering, following the discovery of Bs 3,532,100 and $us 10,000 hidden in an ambulance that had left the condominium where the former Attorney General resides.
During the hearing, Mariaca reminded the judge of his origins and his family situation. He noted that he is from Santa Cruz, that he has a known address, and that three minor children depend on him. He also invoked his institutional trajectory: "You are speaking with a person who just days ago was a democratically elected Attorney General of the State by 115 votes of the Legislative Assembly."
Before concluding his intervention, Mariaca announced that his defence would file an appeal: "I simply, your honour, with all the respect that is due to you, you have given the six months of detention, I respect that; for that reason we will proceed with the appeal through my lawyer, but I want you to know my life, your honour, is today in the hands of the Judicial Branch."
Source: El Deber