Jail sentence for judge confirmed after 17 years

The Second Superior Court confirmed a sentence of 18 months in prison imposed on Juan Bosco Molina for the alleged commission of the crimes of abuse of authority and excess of functions in the exercise of his position as fifth civil judge, events that date back  17 years.

This is stated in an edict, posted on March 2 at the Court Clerk’s Office, whose ruling upholds a sentence issued in the first instance, to 18 months in prison, and to pay a fine of $2,500 and one year of disqualification for the exercise of public functions once the prison sentence has been served.

The sentence is due to a decision made by Molina in 2005, as a judge, to deliver the accrued interest on three guarantee certificates that had been seized by another civil court.

In 2006, the Second Court dismissed it, but the Public Ministry appealed and the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice ordered an extension of the investigation in 2007.

A year later, on July 23, 2008, the Second Superior Court removed him from office and held that Molina engaged in “reprehensible” conduct by “arbitrarily” approving the delivery of interest, ignoring the precautionary existing patrimonial measure.

Molina appealed, but it was not until April 2, 2019 – almost 11 years later – when the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court confirmed the measure.

The ruling of the Second Criminal Chamber, with a presentation by Judge Jerónimo Mejía and endorsed by his colleagues José Ayú Prado and Harry Díaz, concluded that Molina’s separation was not a precautionary measure, since it was applied because the crime of abuse of authority is punishable by imprisonment.

Currently, the Public Ministry is investigating two judges – one criminal and the other civil – denounced by the Court itself due to alleged anomalies in the exercise of their functions.