Investigation of judge freed “most wanted” criminal

The Judicial Branch has opened an internal investigation into the actions of the judge who ordered the release of the alleged gang leader José Cossio, despite the fact that he had not finished serving the 74-month prison sentence, imposed for drug-related crimes.

Cossio was finally captured in Costa del Este, last weekend, and returned to the maximum-security island prison in Punta Coco. The National Police referred to him as “one of the most wanted” throughout the country.

In the act to commemorate the 10 years of validity of the accusatory criminal system in the Second Judicial District (Coclé and Veraguas), the presiding magistrate of the Court, Luis Ramón Fabrega, said that an investigation was opened to find out why the deputy first liquidating judge Gerardo Ríos ordered Cossio’s release on September 14, 2020, and how it was carried out.

Fabrega indicated that the Court is in a constant process of sanitation and verifying any type of action that conflicts with ethics and morals or that violates the law.

Cossio’s release occurred even though he had not completed a 74-month prison sentence for drug-related crimes, so -after a review of the case- the Second Superior Court of Justice ordered to revoke the order of the Judge Ríos and ordered his capture, which took place on Saturday 28, at a police checkpoint in Costa del Este.

Judge Ríos violated the procedures, as only a compliance judge could release Cossio, as a convicted person. Any request for release had to be aired at a hearing, in the presence of the Public Ministry and the technical defense of the convicted person.