Deputy Mauricio Espínola under investigation for negligent homicide following fatal accident in Asunción
Prosecutor Mercedes Vera reclassified the case as negligent homicide following the death of cyclist Emilio Benítez. The family signed a compensation agreement for 40 million guaraníes.
Prosecutor reclassified collision involving Deputy Espínola as negligent homicide
According to latribuna.com.py, prosecutor Mercedes Vera ordered the legal classification of the case involving Deputy Mauricio Espínola to be changed, categorising it as negligent homicide. The victim, Emilio Benítez, a state official, died twelve days after the impact recorded on 16 May at the intersection of Kubitschek and Cerro Corá avenues in Asunción.
Sub-commissioner Víctor Ovelar, from the 7th Metropolitan police station, explained that the officers involved drew up initial statements after receiving an alert from the 911 emergency system. Forensic doctors subsequently confirmed Benítez's death, and the police station sent the documented records to the Public Prosecutor's Office, according to details provided by Tribu Nativa via La Tribu 650 AM.
The driver of the Toyota Fortuner pickup truck presented himself voluntarily at the Highway Patrol operational base in San Lorenzo, where technicians carried out a breathalyser test with a negative result. The analytical documents were forwarded to the duty prosecutor's office to certify the regularity of the procedures.
Photographs obtained at the scene indicate that the Kenton bicycle struck directly against the lateral door of the vehicle. However, the official intervention document failed to record the state of the traffic light at the time of the collision, and the eyewitness handed over the victim's belongings without providing statements about right of way.
Road experts from the prosecutor's office will verify images from closed-circuit cameras at shops adjacent to the scene. At the same time, the deceased's family members signed a private compensation agreement valued at forty million guaraníes.
Public disclosure of the case generated public criticism over the fifteen-day delay in the publication of the station reports. Public opinion also questions an alleged intention to conceal information, linked to the legislator's connections with the former president of the Republic. Police authorities denied any institutional cover-up in favour of the deputy, a member of his party's dissident caucus.
In the legislative sphere, hosts of radio shows debated removal of immunity requests that the Chamber of Deputies will need to address in upcoming sessions. The criminal process will continue under supervision of the guarantee courts of the capital.
Source: Google News PY — Asunción