Ex-chief cop gets release but stays in jail
FORMER National Police chief Gustavo Pérez gained a Pyrrhic victory in the Second Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court with the replacement of a preventive detention order by country arrest, but he remains in jail because he is facing other criminal charges.
In a ruling of September 20, 2017, magistrates José Ayú Prado (Rapporteur) , Harry Diaz and substitute Luis Mario Carrasco, in the case of possession of illicit firearms ruled that Pérez has already “passed the various stages of ordinary criminal proceedings,” such as investigation and the preliminary hearing converted into an abbreviated proceeding before the 12th Criminal Court which resulted in a sentence of 64 months in prison.
According to the magistrates, there is no danger that Pérez could destroy evidence, or make an attempt against the life of another person.
When the criminal court issued the verdict in December 2015, the defense of Pérez appealed the decision to the Second Court of Justice, which confirmed the conviction in July 2016. However, the lawyers of the ex-director of the Police did not give up and filed an appeal before the Second Criminal Chamber, which has not been resolved yet.
Other considerations of the magistrates to grant the change of precautionary measure were that Pérez has been detained since January 15, 2015, “32 months in prison, the equivalent of half of the penalty (…) “, they say.
Although he was granted the change of precautionary measure, Pérez will continue to be detained in El Renacer, since he has two pending proceedings: one, for the alleged illegal interception of communications, and another, for the loss of the equipment that would have been used to spy on citizens.
