26
witness in the investigation” of the present case was murdered, iii) on
April 13, 2009, Mr. Germán Aníbal de la Roca, witness in the
investigation, was followed by subjects who were traveling in an
automobile that “in previous months made an attempt on his life,
ramming against the motorcycle he was driving,” and iv) on March 8,
2009, the former Ombudsman, Julio Arango Escobar, who was in charge
of the investigation in 1995, died in a “traffic accident.” The
representatives argued that “the proximity and characteristics of all
these facts leads to the presumption that they are not isolated and that
they are the result of the impulse and relevance given to the
investigation into this case” in 2009.
Likewise, the representatives indicated that on March 21, 2010, a
legislator and leader of the Patriot Party spoke out against Jennifer
Harbury, while other press columnists have referred to her as a “liar,
opportunist, and a manipulator.” The representatives stated their deep
concern for these “acts of aggression and discredit aimed at obstructing
Mrs. Harbury’s efforts to search for justice.” To this they added two
criminal accusations filed against Mrs. Harbury and the prosecutor
Manuel Vásquez –prosecutor in charge of the present case-. Said
accusations were filed by another defendant involved in the case, and
they are accused of “colluding to surprise the judicial authority” using
the Judgment issued by the Court in the present case. Specifically, the
prosecutor is accused of abuse of office. Likewise, the prosecutors
received “threats of false testimonies of corruption.”
54.
Additionally, the representatives stated that the Public
Prosecutors’ Office is “going through a serious institutional crisis” and
that the prosecutor Manuel Vásquez Vicente and the assistant
prosecutor José Rodolfo López, who promoted the investigations of the
present case during the last year, have been “watched over and followed
by strangers.” The representatives stated that to receive protection, said
prosecutors had to resign from their positions, accept a change of
residence, and stop working, aspects that “are not viable for officials”
and that “[would] lead to the suspension of the […] investigation.”
55.
The State argued that on March 29, 2010, “it appointed two
agents of the National Civil Police Force to provide personal security
services” to the prosecutor in charge of the case, Manuel Vásquez. On
the other hand, the State mentioned that it convened a meeting for
August 2, 2010, with two assistant prosecutors in charge of the
investigations –José Rodolfo López and Sara Romero- whom are alleged
56.
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