Federal justice charges Chilean with five crimes following airline incident in Brazil
The 51-year-old engineer who insulted crew members on a Latam flight could face up to 14 years in prison, according to charges filed in São Paulo.
Federal justice charges Chilean with five crimes following airline incident in Brazil
The Federal Court of São Paulo has filed formal charges against a 51-year-old Chilean citizen who has been detained since May in the São Paulo metropolitan region. Engineer Germán Naranjo Maldini, a former employee of a fishing sector company, faces multiple charges related to an incident that occurred aboard a Latam aircraft.
According to the accusation document, made public on Wednesday, the defendant allegedly attempted to open the emergency door of the aircraft during the early hours of 11 May while the plane was passing through Fortaleza airspace. The original flight route was from São Paulo to Frankfurt, Germany.
The defendant's lawyers contested the terms of the charges in a written statement. According to the defence, the document contains inaccuracies, including regarding what actually happened with the aircraft door. They consider the charges disproportionate and at odds with the facts actually proven.
Naranjo was dismissed from Landes following the disclosure of the case. The company, which operates in the fishing sector, opted to remove him from his duties immediately and as a precautionary measure. He held a commercial management position before embarking on the trip to Europe, ostensibly to attend an industry trade fair.
The incident became known to the public through videos showing the passenger insulting a crew member with racist and homophobic language. In the images, he appears using derogatory terms and making offensive gestures.
The airline issued a statement condemning the customer's behaviour and reiterating its support for the investigation. Latam emphasised that it is cooperating with Brazilian authorities responsible for the inquiry and that it rejects any form of discrimination in its operations.
Data reported by the portal Teletrece
Source: Google News CL — Crime