Sunday, May 4, 2025
01:20
Yesterday, through Judicial Unit No. 8, a new criminal complaint against Cura Raúl Eduardo López Márquez, who is about to be subject to trial for sexual abuse. The judicial presentation is because the cleric held a meeting with a witness, which can hinder the process, according to the complainant lawyer who attends the complainant and the witness.
After the controversial video in which a person is observed, who according to the complaint, was identified as Luis Alberto Monjes, who in turn is a complainant of the pastor in the second investigation for abuse that is carried out in local justice. Now another of the victims, Gustavo Batallán, made a new judicial presentation, since it ensures that that meeting existed and endangers the debate that is planned for July 15 through a popular jury.
Apparently, the film material would have been given at the home of the priest, in fact the cleric ensures that the meeting was requested by Monks, where he calls an “extortion”, the witness requests a sum of 120 million pesos to withdraw the criminal complaint against him.
For this reason, the prosecutor Jésica Miranda would have called the victim of last name Battall (now complainant) already her sister to inquire about the controversial video.
It should be noted that in the presentation made by the lawyer of both, in this case assisting Batallán, he asked the prosecutor in turn of the Northern District to immediately refer a copy of the complaint to the judge director of the trial by jury (Silvio Martoccia) to adopt the corresponding coercion measures (article 372 Second paragraph of the Catamarca Criminal Procedures Code) among them the arrest of the accused cure.
The complaint version
In dialogue with El Esquiú.com, lawyer Sebastián Ibáñez said in this regard: “On the day after date Gustavo Batallán Victim of the priest López Márquez for the serious acts of pedophiles sexual abuse and abuse of minors, whose jury trial began on July 15, being complainant Batallan, he filed the criminal complaint that he announced against Cura López Márquez. Jury who will start having met with Luis Monjes, who is the victim of the second cause and is also a key witness.
This according to the Catamarca Procedural Code in article 372 second paragraph, authorizes the court in this case to the judge of the jury trial to take coercion measures against the accused among them the arrest ”.
“He cannot meet, gather, or maintain contact with Luis Monjes, much less talk about money as he does in that interview that was signed by López Márquez himself who presented it in justice.”
“Then this complaint given the seriousness of the situation, Gustavo Batallán with the sponsorship of the lawyer was going to make the complaint on Monday but given the gravity, the lawyer detailed yesterday.”
Version of the denounced
After the stir that caused the complaint of the priest López Márquez, when he left the video in the prosecution he appeared first time before the means to give his version of the facts.
In this sense, the priest clarified that his presentation had to do with a meeting he had recently held with Luis Monjes, at his home, in the Valle Viejo department.
“He – for Monks – contacted my lawyer and asked to meet, that’s why he came to my house. He basically asked me for 120 million pesos to raise the complaint, for which I am not even charged. He extorted me,” he said.
That is, for now, who met with the priest at his home is a complainant, that while Justice investigates the second criminal complaint against the priest, he held a meeting with his denounced.
In that context, he added: “As I knew I was going to my house, so I asked my lawyer, I recorded it and it is the video that today-for Wednesday- I am presenting as proof here in the prosecution. I came alone, because I do not need a lawyer to make this presentation that I expect justice investigating it.” As for the motivation that monks could have had, the priest commented: “It has always been like that. Since the complaints began against me three years ago and I kept silent, but today no longer, that’s why I present myself to justice and I give this test. Complaints.
Finally, the priest remarked that both Monjes and Battalion were not “were victims of him,” said that in the conversation that was recorded, Luis was asked how much he wanted, and he replied that 120 million pesos. “Imagine that amount of money, I think that even selling half of the cathedral could gather that money. They ruined my life, I lost everything. They threw me from the university where I taught, but I could take care of retirement so I perceive more than 400 thousand pesos. To survive today I do bakery jobs and nothing falls out,” the priest ended.
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