The defense of former comptroller Carlos Pólit asked the Florida Court to allow him to remain under house arrest until he must report to prison to serve his sentence. The assets for the bond were revalued and add up to greater assets.
Former Ecuadorian comptroller Carlos Pólit has been imprisoned since April 23, when the US justice system declared him guilty of money laundering. And, this June 24, his defense asked again that he be granted house arrest, until he is sentenced.
This is because, at the request of the same defense, the reading of the sentence against him was postponed until September 4. Originally, that procedure had been set for July 18. That is, Pólit has about 10 more weeks ahead of him, before he must be transferred to a federal prison, to serve his sentence for six charges, which are not yet known in detail.
The defense arguments
As during the trial, Carlos Pólit wants to remain under house arrest, while he awaits the reading of the sentence against him. To do this, the lawyers recalled the conditions that the former comptroller already fulfilled for two years:
The wife and 13 other relatives of the former comptroller signed a guarantee for the bail of 14 million.
Pólit and his wife handed over all their passports to the authorities.
The assets guaranteeing the bond could not be encumbered.
The former comptroller did not leave his home except for medical visits, court appearances, court-ordered obligations and attorney visits.
Pólit was tracked by GPS monitoring at all times.
That is why the former comptroller’s lawyers reiterate that he will faithfully comply with house arrest again. Furthermore, to convince Judge Kathleen Willams, of the Southern District Court of Florida, the defense proposed that the bail be increased “to any amount suggested by the Court (for example, USD 50 million).”
If the judge accepts the motion, the bail will be secured by the same assets of the Pólit family (15 real estate properties and two retirement funds), “which have increased their equity value by approximately USD 6.9 million and are now worth approximately USD 25 million.
Likewise, the former comptroller’s lawyers recalled that Pólit already signed a waiver of any extradition and that he could do so again; He is 73 years old and was sentenced for financial crimes, so he does not represent a danger to anyone.
But, the two main arguments presented are: that Pólit is the caregiver of his wife, who suffers from a chronic illness and needs constant attention; and that the assets of the Pólit family constitute almost all of their assets, so a leak would leave them bankrupt.
For all these reasons, the defense asked Judge Kathleen Willams to allow him to remain under house arrest and voluntarily surrender to the prison designated in his sentence.
By: PRIMICIAS