Judge nullifies corruption case against clutch of ex-ministers

Judge Leslie Loaiza, has nullified a $12 million corruption case  linked to the  National Assistance program (PAN) known as “Grains”, against  a group of cabinet ministers  in the previous administration as the investigation was not completed in six months.

Off the hook for crime against public administration are  ex-ministers  Lucy Molinar, Jaime Ford, Guillermo Ferrufino and Roberto Milton Cohen Henríquez, as well as Tomás Escalona. Last week the same judge nullified  another corruption case against Ferrufino. It is being appealed,

In a press release, the Judiciary said  that “the decision of Judge Leslie Loaiza was based on Article 2033 of the Judicial Code, which establishes that the summary must be completed within four months after the investigation begins, and may be extended. up for two more months when there are several defendants or punishable acts. “

The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office initiated the investigation on August 27, 2014, and was due to end on February 27, 2015.

Judge Loaiza explains that “approximately two and a half months elapsed after the expiration of our procedural order, without the investigating agency requesting the extension of the summary to the Jurisdictional Court, that is, eight and a half months have elapsed since the beginning of the proceedings. investigation until the investigation order is issued. “

The Public Ministry said that once the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office is notified, it will set an appeal in motion.