97-year-old gets 20 years for  1969 “disappearance”

An adult over 97 years of age was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the disappearance of a person that occurred in 1969. The event occurred in the community of La Tranca de Sioguí, in Bugaba, Chiriquí province and it was not until 2004 that an investigation began.

The Superior Court of Justice of the Third Judicial District issued the sentence dated July 13, 2023, by which it sanctioned a 97-year-old citizen to 20 years in prison, for the commission of the crime against life and personal integrity in the form of aggravated intentional homicide.

In the resolution, the collegiate court ordered as an accessory penalty the disqualification from holding public office for a term of five years, once the main penalty has been served.

For the purposes of the judicial individualization of the sentence, the court took into consideration that it is a serious crime of the most precious legal asset, such as human life, and that the location of the victim’s remains is unknown.

This criminal investigation began on May 27, 2004, when the Chiriquí Auxiliary Prosecutor’s Office received the complaint filed by the Institutional Truth Commission, for the alleged disappearance of the victim, on March 16, 1969, from the community of La Tranca de Sioguí, district of Bugaba, province of Chiriquí.