2024-07-05 13:00:16
The National Prosecutor’s Office has come out to clarify the information that was published in the press regarding the alleged protected witnesses murdered in June and March, respectively.
The National Prosecutor’s Office ruled out that the three Venezuelan citizens murdered in Lampa and Ovalle had been protected witnesses in cases related to Aragua Train.
The above, after a note from T13 pointed out that the two homicides that occurred on June 5 in the commune located in the Metropolitan Region would have collaborated and were “protected by the Prosecutor’s Office”while other information from Radio Biobío stated that The man murdered in the Coquimbo Region was in the same condition.
“As the Public Prosecutor’s Office we want to clarify that These people were not part of any protection program at the time of the events,” the National Prosecutor’s Office assured.
According to the details provided by the head of the Victims and Witnesses Division of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Alicia Díaz, There are no records of any witnesses being killed in the country. while a trial is taking place.
“We have a permanent division that has been in operation for many years. As a fact, Last year we had more than 13 thousand witnesses with protection and all those witnesses received their measurements. We did not have any person who died in the criminal process.“, he said.
What Minister Tohá said
This Wednesday, the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá supported the information provided by the Public Ministry as to ruling out that the Venezuelans killed in Lampa were protected witnesses. In addition, the chief of staff denied that it was a question of possible police informants.
“First of all, The issue of protected witnesses is indeed of the highest priority.because they are people who collaborate in highly relevant criminal investigations where there is a risk and a capacity to cause retaliation against witnesses, and that is why this institutional protection is generated,” said the authority.
He then added that “it must be said, however, that with regard to the article that appeared in the press, The Prosecutor’s Office has come out to say that these people were not protected witnesses. at the time of their murder and that he will not refer to any further details because this is a confidential matter. But he ruled out that they were protected witnesses.”
On the occasion, Minister Tohá said that an investigation was carried out “in case they had been informants for the police. They were not either.“, he said.
Finally, he stressed that “in the event that there had been an incident with protected witnesses, The Executive does not participate in the management of their protection, it does not know who they are. It is a task exclusively of the Prosecutor’s Office.“.
The alleged protected witnesses who were murdered
According to T13, the two murdered on June 5 in the Lo Echevers and Chorrillo Tres sector, in Lampa, They received bullet wounds to the head and chest..
They were identified as Junior and Klivert, and they would have delivered Key testimonies in cases linked to the Aragua Train.
In that case, it was the Public Prosecutor’s Office itself that denied that the witnesses were protected. “As these are confidential investigations, we are unable to refer to them.” in order to protect future research and results“, stated the National Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition, the prosecuting body also ruled out that a young woman who was murdered last March in a service center in Ovalle has been protected.
That, after a note from Radio Biobío asserted that it was a “confidential witness” in a case of homicides related to the Aragua Train in Concepción“.