Court declares Barto's detention illegal; lawyer says money came from mother-in-law.
According to the defense, if the prosecution had summoned Barto, he would have voluntarily attended to explain everything.
The hearing is proceeding in parts.
After nearly two hours of back and forth, the judge declared a recess. A guarantees judge ruled the detention of Barto Encarnación Guante, co-host of the podcast "Flow de la Música", illegal. He was apprehended during the "Fraude Toral" operation.
Barto and five other people appeared in a hearing today regarding their alleged involvement in a financial fraud that, according to the prosecution, caused a patrimonial blow of more than $786,000 to the Caja de Ahorros.
The case revolves around loans made in 2019, where lands in Chiriquí were used as collateral, and Barto is attributed to having received $30,000.
The hearing began around 10:00 in the morning, but the tense atmosphere in the courtroom changed course when the judge declared the influencer's apprehension illegal.
"They brought him like a criminal... unnecessarily," said the lawyer.
During a recess in the hearing, Barto's lawyer, Víctor Orobio, stated that "the detention was illegal because there was no reason to go to his house, handcuff him and bring him as if he were a criminal."
The lawyer insisted that Barto committed no crime, that the money he received came from his mother-in-law, and that that is not a reason for an operation.
When asked why his client did not inquire about the origin of the money, the lawyer indicated: "When my son asks me for money, I transfer it to him and no one asks where it comes from. The law says that it must be proven that the money comes from an illicit origin... and that the person knows it."
There are still two key points to be discussed: the charges, and the precautionary measures that could be applied to the five investigated individuals.
One of the subjects has been released, and now the case is on pause, with expectations set on what will come when the judge resumes the session.
Meanwhile, Barto left without handcuffs, but under media pressure and an investigation that is still not fully written.
