the courtroom on the last day of arguments / dolores ripoll
With the presentation of the lawyer Daniel Mazzochini on behalf of the defendants Adrián Manes and Gustavo Mena, two of the alleged links of the so-called “Megabanda”, which would have at the top of the structure the former judge César Melazo and the former chief commissioner Gustavo Bursztyn, according to the representatives of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, who supported the accusation, yesterday the arguments stage of the oral trial, which began on September 5, was closed.
Now, according to judicial sources, the replies (today), the counter-replies (tomorrow) and the last word of the accused are missing, before the court made up of judges Silvina Hoerr, Santiago Paolini and Andrés Vitali, go on to deliberate.
The ruling, they clarified, is expected after the January fair.
The same spokespersons indicated that, before Mazzocchini’s address, who spoke of alleged irregularities throughout the investigation, which would overthrow the postulates that support the accusation against her clients, Dr. Hoerr announced the entry of two requests of restraint in detention conditions for Melazo and Bursztyn, who will run by incidental rope.
Regarding Melazo, with the legal assistance of the learned Christian Romano and Juan Pesquera, it was stated that “a less burdensome measure is appropriate.”
“The study of the file reveals that the more than 12,500 pages, there is no material evidence to support the origin of any measure in what is the purpose that the investigation should have sought – to solve the murder of Juan Farías – it goes without saying that it was a resounding failure. Additionally, there are plenty of elements to assert that the investigation never pointed to it, but rather that the death of Juan Farías was used to set up, in his name, a police legal coven. In that raid, people to whom it was impossible to prove their participation in any lawful act were accused and detained for long periods of time. On the contrary, the debate has been very useful, revealing that, protected in the context of that instruction, more crimes were committed than those that were being investigated”, they expressed.
The defenders also supported their request for a house arrest for “the death of the mother, a new birthday for her youngest son and the increasing deterioration of her physical and mental health.”
They also talked about the restitution of the benefit of house arrest for Manes, who is charged as the author of the murder of Juan Farías, the member of the group, apparently disgraced by a robbery that he should not have committed, since he withdrew from the imputation for commercialization of narcotics.
In any case, regarding this point, it should be clarified that since the trial prosecutors, Mariano Sibuet and María Victoria Huergo, appealed the measure, it is currently not in a position to be executed.
As is known, the list of accused is made up of Melazo himself, former chief commissioner Gustavo Bursztyn (until his capture he served in the Patrol Command); Officer Gustavo Andrés Gregorio Mena and First Lieutenant Marcos Chiusaroli (staff from the Second Police Station); Adrian “Quichua” Manes; Carlos Bertoni; Carlos “Macha” Barroso Luna; Hector “Pepe” Vega, Martin Fernandez and Enrique Edgardo “Quique” Petrullo.
