Guatemala metropolis. A Guatemalan courtroom this Wednesday granted freedom to journalist José Rubén Zamora, acknowledged for his denunciations in opposition to corruption and who has been in jail for nearly two years for cash laundering, a sentence that’s suspended.
Zamora, 67, has been imprisoned since July 2022 when he was accused by the Public Ministry and in June of final 12 months he was sentenced to 6 years in jail. The journalist denied the accusations.
An appeals courtroom suspended the conviction and ordered a brand new trial, which continues to be pending.
Based on the prosecutor’s workplace, Zamora would have laundered 300 thousand quetzales, about 38 thousand {dollars}, which the journalist said have been meant to pay employees at The newspaper, the media of which he was president. The morning newspaper had monetary issues as a result of withdrawal of presidency and personal promoting.
Zamora’s protection stated that the cash was a donation from an individual who didn’t need to seem within the data so Zamora requested his pal Ronald Navajo to deposit the cash in a financial institution. As a substitute, Navajo — who was prosecuted for acts of corruption in a combined capital financial institution — denounced Zamora.
Through the trial, the choose accountable for the case, Jimi Bremer, didn’t permit the presentation of all of the proof in favor of Zamora, the journalist’s protection alleged.
“I’m very comfortable,” Zamora stated after the courtroom listening to. “Though I ready at this time to depart jail, but additionally to return as a result of there’s one other arrest warrant in opposition to me,” he added.
The courtroom argued that there isn’t any threat of flight or menace that Zamora will intrude within the investigation in opposition to him and granted him freedom based mostly on the legislation and worldwide conventions on human rights.
In flip, the courtroom imposed not less than seven measures on him to make sure that he continues within the course of, together with a bond of about $3,700 and signing a guide on the prosecutor’s workplace each 15 days to make sure his permanence within the nation. Former Human Rights Legal professional Jorge de León Duque signed as Zamora’s guarantor.
The prosecution additionally intends to prosecute Zamora for 2 accusations, one for obstruction of justice for allegedly having lied within the cash laundering course of and one other for falsification of paperwork for allegedly having altered his signature on immigration ballots.
The journalist led the media outlet El Periódico for greater than 20 years, from which he denounced acts of corruption of governments similar to that of President Alejandro Giammattei (2020-2024).
The prosecution accuses him of getting laundered about 38 thousand {dollars}, however in line with his protection they have been for the fee of salaries for the newspaper.
“All through my total life I’ve been a sufferer of assaults, kidnappings, assaults for the work I do,” he stated through the listening to.
Zamora led essential journalistic investigations that resulted within the publicity of corruption embedded within the State. One of the essential is the so-called “Magic Carpet”, which revealed alleged bribes paid to former President Giammattei for favoring Russian businessmen for his operations in a port in Guatemala. Giammattei denied the accusations and the prosecutor’s workplace by no means investigated the previous president, as an alternative, it accused Zamora and different Guatemalan journalists.
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– 2024-05-24 06:42:53
