(CNN Español) — On Thursday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office again filed criminal charges against the leader of the international organization La Luz del Mundo, Naasón Joaquín García, 51, and three of his alleged accomplices.
This new legal action by the Office of the Prosecutor comes after a California appeals court dismissed the accusations against Joaquín García, after “procedural errors”, made by prosecutors, almost four months ago. A state court decision that allowed the prosecution to re-file criminal charges against the pastor.
However, back then, the appeals court did not make clear whether the self-proclaimed “Apostle of Jesus Christ” would be released, who has remained in the Los Angeles County jail since he was arrested in June 2019 in the South Of California.
The leader of La Luz del Mundo was detained along with two members of his church, after the California attorney general’s office filed 26 criminal charges against him, including conspiracy to commit human trafficking and conspiracy to commit child pornography, among others.
Since his arrest, Joaquín García has always pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. So far the position of the pastor on this new complaint is unknown.
According to court documents that were filed in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, the 36 charges that were presented to them include forced rape and lewd acts against a minor, in addition to extortion and possession of child pornography, among others. Crimes that were allegedly committed between June 2015 and June 2019, according to the court document.
After having remained behind bars without the right to bail, now Joaquín García has set a bail of US $ 50 million.
At the same time, the Prosecutor’s Office noted that Joaquín García was brought to trial on Thursday at a hearing in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Now he must appear in court on August 4, where a hearing will be held to review his bond.
Since Thursday, CNN has tried to contact church representatives, as well as the pastor’s legal defense, by phone and email for a reaction to the new action by the California Attorney General, but so far we have had no reply.
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