Judge extends house arrest for jailed embezzler

The compliance judge Roberto Sánchez granted an extension until December 30 of the house arrest measure in favor of the former director of the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI) Luis Cucalón.

Cucalón avoided arrest for two years in the Punta Pacifica Hospital before being sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement and corruption of public servants to the detriment of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Sánchez made the decision based on a  medical report from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences which said that the ailments that the sanctioned person presents make him vulnerable to Covid-19, so it is risky to send him to prison.

The judge also took into consideration recommendations of the Ministry of Health regarding chronic diseases that can put a patient at risk from the coronavirus.

In May 2020, a compliance judge granted the measure of house-arrest to Cucalón after it was found that he had multiple ailments, which required specialized treatment.