The Public Ministry presented a request for prejudice against Quijano as well as videos in which he is allegedly met with gang members.
A team of prosecutors formally filed a request for prejudice against the ARENA deputy and former president of parliament, Norman Quijano, on Monday in the case of meeting videos who allegedly link him with gang members.
The Prosecutor’s Office has asked the Assembly to remove the immunity to Quijano to prosecute him criminally for the crimes of electoral fraud and illegal groupings. In addition to the request for prejudice, prosecutors also presented the videos in which Quijano is allegedly seen meeting with gang members.
About other officials and former officials of ARENA and the FMLN That they would have also negotiated with gang members (among them Ernesto Muyshondt and Arístides Valencia), prosecutor Álvaro Rodríguez explained that these cases are under investigation.
But what happens if the deputies do not give the votes to take away the jurisdiction of Quijano? Prosecutor Rodríguez explained that the exercise of the criminal action would be suspended and the Prosecutor’s Office must wait until the term in which the official has immunity to prosecute it ends.
Hours earlier, the Attorney General of the Republic, Raúl Melara, had announced via Twitter the presentation of this request after having carried out “a serious and objective investigation”. In addition, he called on the deputies to follow this process “in an objective, legal and transparent manner.”
Four prosecutors submitted a request to the Legislative Assembly to withdraw the jurisdiction to Norman Quijano and thus initiate a criminal proceeding against the former president of that Body, which the public prosecutor accuses him of electoral fraud and illegal groups
For his part, President Nayib Bukele reacted to the case, and said that “the deputies must remove the jurisdiction to Quijano for the Prosecutor’s Office to do its job.”
Quijano has denied having met and negotiated with maras. This was the position of the deputy after knowing the request for prejudice against him:
I reiterate:
1) That I have not been part of any criminal organization.
2) That I have not given money to criminals, much less agreed benefits.
3) That I am innocent of the accusations made to me.@ARENAOFICIAL @ARENAfraccion– Norman Quijano (@norman_quijano) January 27, 2020
For his part, the deputy of GANA Guillermo Gallegos said that he will ask his political fraction to propose him as prosecutor of the commission of prejudice. He considers that there is sufficient evidence for Quijano to take away the jurisdiction.
Witness Noah talked about videos of politicians with gangs
In the trial in the Cuscatlán case, in which 425 gang members of the MS were prosecuted for various crimes, the witness Noah declared and mentioned, among other details the meetings they held with politicians from ARENA and FMLN to negotiate electoral support. He mentioned that in the case of Quijano he was asked for $ 1 million in exchange for votes but he did not say what the then candidate answered.
While on November 18, Quijano submitted a letter to the FGR requesting a copy of the recording of the videos. Then, on November 21, the Prosecutor’s Office said that the audiovisual material is under reserve and judicial protection. Given the response, Quijano claimed the Public Prosecutor for denying him the copy of the video that allegedly links him to a meeting held with gang members between 2014 and 2015.
Quijano, meanwhile, last December reiterated that he did not negotiate with gangs, as revealed by videos where the deputy appears, in meeting with other politicians, in which there were Negotiation with gang members.
The deputy explained that he answered a call from the Pastors Network to meet with them, not gang members. “I still have a clear conscience, the president of the Pastors Network invited me to go talk to pastors, not gang members. I still have a clear conscience, ”he said.
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