ATTACK AGAINST EL CHUBUT NEWSPAPER
It is with the objective that two of the accused do not go to said legal process in exchange for carrying out community work and making financial compensation. On July 10, the resolution of this measure will be given, to then give way to the preliminary hearing for the trial.
In the context of the arson attack against Diario EL CHUBUT, which occurred on December 20, 2021, the defense attorney for two of the four defendants, Romina Rowlandschallenged the denial of suspension of trial to evidence.
It should be remembered that this mechanism allows the accused, Víctor Emanuel Cotut and Jonathan Andrés Luna Almadado not go to trial in exchange for financial compensation and community work. “We believe that the prosecutor’s reasons for opposing this simplification mechanism were not sufficient”declared the lawyer to FM EL CHUBUT.
The prosecutor in the case, Gustavo Núñez, opposed citing the precedent of the fire case in the Chubut Legislature in September 2019, where the Superior Court of Justice denied a similar request.
The resolution on the challenge is expected on July 10 and will determine whether the suspension of trial to evidence is granted. If the request is denied, the preliminary hearing will proceed to the trial, which would be by jury.
Núñez highlighted that, during the arson attack on the newspaper’s facilities, “there was a risk of life for the people who were inside.” The classification of the crime is “destructive arson in competition with damage” and provides penalties of up to 15 years in prison.
The other two defendants, Walter Eduardo Medina and Marcos Antonio Wilipan, did not propose suspension of the trial to evidence. It is important to mention that the defense of the four defendants was divided into two.
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