Experts track communications in the case of Arroz Verde
Ecuadortimes:
Criminalistics agents and prosecutor Ruth Amoroso entered yesterday (May 28, 2019) to the Constitutional Court through the main door. At 09:40, an official was waiting for them there.
He was in charge of delivering the electronic equipment that the Court assigned to the former judge Pamela Martínez and to Laura Terán, an official with appointment.
Now, the material is part of the evidence in the case called Green Rice. Martínez and Terán have been detained since May 4. The Prosecutor does not rule out that both have used these electronic equipment to communicate and organize a scheme that allegedly served to hide the illegal contributions of state contractors to the Alianza País campaigns, between 2013 and 2014.
Yesterday, in the diligence, the agents They seized two desktop computers, two laptops, a cell phone and a tablet. They also checked the offices of floors three and six that were used by the ex-employees. The teams entered a chain of custody.
They will be analyzed by experts, along with the devices that were seized on Monday May 27 at the administrative offices of the Presidency of the Republic. Between 2009 and 2018, Martinez was also an advisor to then President Rafael Correa.
According to the judicial order signed by Judge Ximena Rodríguez, eight cell phones, four desktops, six laptops and two tablets were to be seized in Carondelet. According to the publication of the portal Mil Hojas, through emails and text messages between Martínez, Terán and other people, guidelines were given to consign values in cash and by crossing invoices.
Codes also indicated what the proceeds should be spent, what candidates should be supported and what officials were in charge of talking to the contractors. In this way, Alianza País would have raised USD 11.6 million. For their part, Martínez and Terán have rejected these accusations.
They claim to be innocent and that they are victims of political persecution. One of the contractors mentioned in the publication is Pedro Verduga, from the company Equitesa. In the report it is indicated that this company would have contributed USD 1 million.
He was called for June 28, to deliver his version in the Transparency and Anti-Corruption Unit. In this diligence, which will be reserved, you may also provide information to discard or not your participation in the case. The report indicates that between November 2013 and January 2014, Equitesa disbursed resources for Alianza País through crossing invoices.
The services that the company would have canceled are payments for billboards, posters, advice on communication, food, fuel consumption and other items. For example, on February 6, 2013, Terán writes an email in which he explains how the subscriptions for the campaigns should be covered.
It says that Equitesa will cover the payment for vehicle rental and “the theme of the platforms and sound for small events”. In another mail from Martínez, a “work meeting” with Verduga is organized in a five-star hotel in Guayaquil. The appointment, according to the communication, took place at 11:00 on April 24, 2011.
With the seizure of electronic equipment, the researchers hope that despite the time they can find the original emails and collate the information with the data published Equitesa built the dam that is part of the Chone Multipurpose project, inaugurated by President Rafael Correa in 2015.
In addition to Martínez and Terán, the Office of the Prosecutor also investigates relatives, people close to them and companies. The Office of the Prosecutor has requested financial, corporate and labor data from eight people linked to Martínez.
While the investigating agents gather more information, the defense of the two defendants seeks to recover their freedom. Today (May 29, 2019), at 08:30, it is expected that the hearing to appeal to preventive detention will be held at the Court of Justice of Pichincha, in Quito.
The facts 04/05/2019 Pamela Martínez was arrested at the Guayaquil airport, when she tried to leave the country. Laura Terán was arrested in Tanicuchí, in Cotopaxi. 06/05/2019 The two ex-functionaries were transferred to the Regional Prison of Cotopaxi.
They were charged with bribery, conspiracy and influence peddling. 05/07/2019 Prosecutor Ruth Amoroso requested the versions of former officials such as Rafael Correa, Jorge Glas, Galo Mora, Viviana Bonilla, Alexis Mera, among others.
05/27/2019 Jimmy Salazar, husband of Pamela Martínez, delivered his version in the Office of the Prosecutor. He said that his wife’s affairs are answered by her and that he did not participate in anything.
Source: https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/arroz-verde-peritos-rastrean-comunicaciones.html