Yesterday, the Extortion Sentencing Court began the oral and public trial against Carlos Alberto Álvarez Cruz alias “Cholo Houston”, his partner Lizeth Carolina Claros Inestroza, who were arrested on August 29, 2019 in possession of six million two hundred eighty-seven thousand five hundred lempiras (L6,287,500.00), jewelry, weapons and a collection of luxury cars, among other evidence related to serious crimes.
However, at the request of the defense, the court rescheduled the trial against “Cholo Houston” and nine other people who are in this same court file.
The new date for the complete development of the debate was scheduled for the week of April 18 to 22.
Both the arrests and seizures of both Mr. Álvarez Cruz and his wife took place in a luxurious home in the Loma Verde residential area of the capital, where the whereabouts of alias “Cholo Houston” were located, who for the National Anti-Maras Force and Gangs (FNAMP), is the leader of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), involved in continuous extortion, money laundering, criminal association and illegal possession of weapons. In the case of his partner, he is supposed to be responsible for money laundering.
The operation and search was carried out by the FNAMP, under the technical and legal direction of the Public Ministry, after which, assets of illicit origin were seized from the couple.
But despite the seriousness of the crimes charged in this case, the defendants’ private defense tried on several occasions to get the Sentencing Courts to grant them alternative measures, wrongly basing themselves on the transitional decree PCM 36-2020 regulating the COVID-19 pandemic. 19, in addition to the reform of article 184 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on the legitimating assumptions by which a judge must order preventive detention and finally arguing due to a miscalculation the expiration of the precautionary measure of preventive detention.
, The Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime (FESCCO) through the Anti-extortion Section and the Section Against the Crime of Asset Laundering and Property Deprivation, will present the necessary body of evidence to establish the facts, circumstances and criminal responsibility that the Public Ministry syndicates the defendants, before the Court. (XM)
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