Ex-Assembly president seeks to slip hook in corruption trial

The former lawmaker and president of the National Rubén De León has made a move to avoid trial for alleged irregularities in payroll and contracts of the National Assembly.

He was not present Friday, August 2  at the guarantee hearing but  his defense notified that he had  filed an appeal before the Supreme Court to define who has the competence of the process: the Public Ministry or the Supreme Court, as he  was elected on  May 5 as a deputy of  the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) on the list of the official Democratic Revolutionary Party.

“Let’s wait what the Court says. said Roberto Moreno, one of the De León team of lawyers.

The prosecutors Zuleyka Moore, Ruth Morcillo and Tania Sterling participated in the anti-corruption prosecution.

Ruth Aizpú, judge of guarantees, yesterday did not make a decision on the case and will not do so until the legal action presented before the Court is resolved.

The case against De Leon arose from information provided by the Comptroller General on the allegedly irregular handling of the various forms of the National Assembly.

A request for the defense of Rubiela Pitano, mentioned in the case, was also addressed at the same hearing. Her lawyers claimed  that due process was violated after publications in the media in which hr case was mentioned. The judge dismissed the argument. Pitano would have been De León’s intermediary to  illegally distribute payroll funds.

The prosecution is anxious to determine whether crimes against the public administration and the public faith were committed in this case. The imputation hearing was scheduled for August 6.