After more than a decade evading justice, Ronnie Rodríguez Mendoza, alias 'Lidier', and William 'Piti' Navarro surrendered last night at the facilities of the Judicial Investigation Directorate (DIJ) in Ancón. Both had been wanted since 2015, when the Specialized Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime called them to testify in the 'Pinchazos' case. Neither appeared at that time, and since then they had been fugitives, with arrest warrants issued by the defunct Sixteenth Penal Court, which remained in force. According to the investigations, both Rodríguez and Navarro were accused of intercepting communications of at least 150 people, as part of a process that also involved former officials from the National Security Council. In that case, both were sentenced to 5 years in prison, a ruling that was confirmed by the Supreme Court's Criminal Chamber. Authorities linked them to the management of the so-called 'Pegasus' system, acquired from an Israeli company and, according to the investigation, used from National Security Council offices to eavesdrop on political leaders and other individuals. This case also included former President Ricardo Martinelli, who was investigated but subsequently declared not guilty in two trials.
