Five minutes before 18:00 yesterday, the Fifth Criminal Court of Pichincha ratified the innocence of Colonel César Carrión, former director of the Police Hospital, and the gendarmes Luis Martínez, Luis Bahamonde, and Jaime Vinicio Paucar. They were accused of attempted murder against President Rafael Correa in the events of September 30, 2010 (30-S).
Except Carrión, who was brought to trial as an accomplice, for the others prosecutor Luis Enriquez found elements to determine who participated as authors.
It took over an hour for the member of the tribunal (Hugo Sierra, and Luis Fernandez Jaqueline Pachacama) to ratify the innocence of the accused policemen. The ruling was unanimous.
The judges did not find sufficient evidence to prove the alleged crime of which accused the prosecutor Luis Enriquez.
The court ordered the immediate release of the accused. The verdict was given on the fifth day of hearing.
The atmosphere was tense during the day because, Janeth Orbe, wife of Colonel Carrion, reported that on Thursday night she received threatening phone calls warning her to “remain silence.” Otherwise, they said, they would kill her husband “and one of my children.”
A similar situation was reported by Luis Bahamonde processing. According to him, it was known that “his head and the colonel’s one were offered by $ 15,000.” For this reason the defendants remained in the courtroom during the recess provided by the court president, Hugo Sierra, at 12:40.
