Public Ministry seeks prison sentence for prosecutor detained in Potosí for releasing drug trafficker
A prosecutor from Tupiza, Potosí, was arrested after releasing a man found with over half a tonne of marijuana. The Public Ministry will request his preventive detention.
Public Ministry seeks prison sentence for prosecutor detained in Potosí for releasing drug trafficker
A prosecutor who worked in Tupiza, department of Potosí, was detained after ordering the release of an individual captured with more than 500 kilograms of cannabis concealed in a minibus. This Thursday, at 17:00, the judicial official must appear before the courts for a hearing on precautionary measures.
Róger Mariaca, head of the General Prosecutor's Office, stated that the official is attributed with the offences of issuing rulings that contravene the Constitution and Bolivian legislation, failure to fulfil his duties, and abuse of office. The senior official explained that the magistrate committed a criminal infraction by releasing someone carrying such a volume of drugs, when it was appropriate to request his provisional imprisonment.
The main head of the Public Ministry indicated that it was proper to retain the apprehended individual to dismantle the criminal network dedicated to the illicit trade in psychotropic substances. "This representative of the Public Ministry acted incorrectly. The priority was to ensure that the suspect remained under police control through provisional imprisonment," he stated.
In parallel with the criminal trial, a disciplinary case was opened against the prosecutor with the aim of permanently removing him from his duties. The Transparency department of the General Prosecutor's Office received the order to initiate said process without delay.
Mariaca emphasised that he will not tolerate members of the institution issuing rulings that oppose the established rules and the constitutional text.
During proceedings this afternoon in the city of Potosí, the Prosecutor's Office will request that the accused be held in a state penal facility with provisional imprisonment as a precautionary measure.
_Source: El Deber_
Source: El Deber