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Accusers of Rafael Correa propose to investigate the use of public money in kidnapping
Posted On 09 Nov 2018
Ecuadornews:
“Thereare elements to infer that the payments made by Raúl Chicaiza to Colombiancitizens already sentenced for the kidnapping of Fernando Balda were obtainedfrom public funds in charge of the National Intelligence Secretariat(Senain).” This was pointed out last Wednesday by Judge Daniella Camachowhen she read an expert opinion in the case, which was one of the elements ofconviction to call to trial for the crime of plagiarism against formerPresident Rafael Correa; the former Secretary of Intelligence, Pablo Romero;and the ex-agents Chicaiza and Jéssica Falcón.
Felipe Rodríguez, Balda’s lawyer, is clear that in order to kidnap his client, the public officials involved must have committed embezzlement.
He believes that if a trial has already been called and the participation of the accused in the plagiarism has been evidenced, the Comptroller General of the State should analyze how much public money went to the operations for the kidnapping and issue a report with indications of criminal responsibility for the Office of the Prosecutor to investigate.
Camacho, before issuing her summons to trial, mentioned in her reading versions given by the kidnappers in Colombia who said that Chicaiza paid for the rent of the vehicle in which the kidnapping was committed, and that cash was given to pay the group of kidnappers, who gave resources to buy clothes to the contracted criminals.
On June 20, during the anticipated testimony of Chicaiza, he said that everything used during his trip to Colombia for the Balda issue was delivered in cash directly by the Senain. He specified that for this operation about $ 60,000 was used in cash, which includes the payment of $ 28,000 in cash, made on August 9, 2012, to the people who were going to transfer an Ecuadorian politician from Bogotá to a barracks in Ipiales, city near Ecuador.
Balda argues that if Correa and Romero are those who are in the upper part of the chain of command of the structure that planned and committed the kidnapping, it is against them that the complaint should be filed for embezzlement that will interpose in the coming weeks in the Office of the Prosecutor.
“The consequence of the crime of embezzlement is precisely that it does not prescribe, then Rafael Correa must make the decision whether he wants to be a fugitive from justice for life or if he comes to Ecuador to face it,” said Balda.
ForRomero’s lawyer, Stalin Oviedo, the announcements of new complaints, such asembezzlement, are part of an action that seeks to erode all ex-collaborators ofCorrea. According to him, by means of these accusations they pretend thatpeople accept crimes that they did not commit in order to link the formerpresident.Oviedo points out that if you have toinvestigate the money they say was delivered in this operation, the first onethat should be analyzed is Balda himself, because, he said, it was Chicaizahimself who, during his advance testimony, stated that he repeatedly gave moneyto the politician to maintain the disguise he had in Colombia. (I)
