The oral hearing for the Odebrechet case continued yesterday at the First Liquidator Court of Criminal Cases with the reading of the order to trial, amidst challenges from lawyers demanding guarantees for due process and the right to a fair trial. Most defense attorneys and defendants attended the hearing virtually. Criminal defense attorney Guillermina McDonald stated that the defenses are awaiting the Public Ministry to present evidence to fill the existing gap, as the witnesses from Brazil constitute the basis of the accusation. Meanwhile, attorney Basilio González considered the prosecution's thesis to be senseless under the current conditions of the process, insisting that without an effective adversarial process and properly incorporated evidence, due process is violated. Cortés also questioned the solidity of the case, stating that Brazil annulled everything, so it is unknown what evidence the Prosecutor's Office has. The hearing continues with the expectation that the Tribunal will guarantee respect for the rights and prerogatives of the parties in a case that continues to generate wide public interest and intense debates about the administration of justice in the country. Attorney Ángel Álvarez affirmed that justice continues to lose credibility when decisions are made without the previous procedural acts being duly guaranteed. Attorney Alma Cortés stated that "justice must be objective, scientific, and impartial," and warned that if Judge Baloisa Marquínez does not guarantee the adversarial process, "the right to defense does not exist." She explained that some attorneys requested these testimonies precisely because those testimonials support the prosecution's thesis and maintained that it now falls to the Prosecutor's Office to demonstrate its ability to produce extraordinary evidence to compensate for that absence. In her opinion, the process is affected not by decisions from a foreign country, but by the internal handling of the case, while criticizing the "secrecy and concealment" that she said has become a characteristic of this judicial process. Meanwhile, Prosecutor Ruth Morcillo expects the reading of the order to trial to be completed this Wednesday. Regarding the trial schedule, the judge established that it will be held from Monday to Thursday, with a recess on Friday.
Odebrecht Case: Hearing Continues with Defense Challenges
In the Odebrecht case, defense lawyers raised serious concerns, demanding guarantees for due process and the right to a fair trial. They argue that without Brazilian witnesses and proper evidence, the case lacks solidity, and the court risks violating fundamental rights to a fair trial.
