Yesterday, Monday, the opening arguments in the Odebrecht case began. This phase, according to lawyer Ángel Álvarez, requires that the Tribunal not limit itself to hearing the presentations, but also assumes the higher responsibility of listening with depth and consideration to each party so that its final decision is based on what the legal norms establish, not on media pressures that seek culprits without evidence.
“Let him feel free to apply the law and right according to his legal conscience, without being conditioned by the noise of the stands or by external pressures of any kind,” he pointed out.
He reiterated that true justice is not measured by the intensity of public clamor, but by fidelity to due process and judicial guarantees, rights that he hopes will be respected.
In his opinion, the Prosecutor's Office has failed the citizens who believed it had a “strong case” when the evidence shows the opposite and the witnesses have refused to support their accusations before the Tribunal.
Furthermore, most of the case is based on evidence dismissed in Brazil, the country of origin of the Norberto Odebrecht construction company, which means that locally, they lack legal support; therefore, they should not be considered by Judge Marquínez when issuing her final decision.
Meanwhile, lawyer Carlos Carrillo indicated that the evidentiary gaps of the Prosecutor's Office are both general and individual because the evidence presented in the previous phase demonstrates that his client, former President Ricardo Martinelli, never received funds to conceal their origin; on the contrary, they were reported to the competent institutions.
He detailed that, by legal obligation, the Prosecutor's Office must individualize the accusations; therefore, together with the other lawyers who make up the former president's defense, they will analyze the facts attributed to him regarding the campaign donations received in 2009, when he was not yet a public official.
Yesterday, the prosecution began its arguments, while the defense lawyers must begin their presentations between today and tomorrow so that, as scheduled, the Odebrecht case hearing concludes on Friday.
