Walter Maciel, former commissioner, appeared before the Federal Oral Court of Corrientes this Thursday in the trial for the disappearance of Loan Danilo Peña, which occurred on June 13, 2024.
During his intervention, Maciel, who is charged in the case, requested the appointment of a co-defender due to professional commitments of his current lawyer, Richard Vallejos. “I am accused and affected, but I will collaborate in everything,” he stated, adding that he wishes to contribute to the case without hindering the judicial process.
The court discussed Maciel’s request, as he hopes to define his new defender by this Friday at the latest. Prosecutor Carlos Schaerer expressed his opposition to having other lawyers from the process temporarily take on the defense, warning about conflicting interests that could arise. The president of the TOCF, Fermín Amado Ceroleni, emphasized that there would be no suspension of the debate and that the established schedule would be respected.
Maciel faces accusations of being a necessary participant in Loan’s disappearance, which includes alleged irregularities in the management of the initial search and the manipulation of the crime scene, where a shoe of the child was found.
In the same hearing, four witnesses testified, including Matías Agustín Fernández from the Argentine Naval Prefecture, who provided security at the hotel where witnesses of the disappearance stayed, and Belén Acosta, who participated in the identification of individuals at the same location. Testimonies were also heard regarding the dissemination of false information about Loan’s appearance, as well as regarding the behavior of Nicolás “El Americano” Soria, one of the defendants.
Source: www.infobae.com
