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in Zone 1 of Guatemala City, by four individuals wearing civilian clothes. He
further stated that two other individuals wearing the uniform of the Treasury
Police were waiting outside and put him into a white "van" with tinted windows
and took him to the Treasury Police station. There he was beaten up by
different uniformed agents then those who had seized him. When he was
shown six photographs of Treasury Police agents, he recognized Mr. César
Augusto Guerra-Ramírez as one of the agents who had beaten him, and said
that he could identify the individuals who had detained him. When shown
photographs of the white "van", he identified it as the one in which he had been
taken to the Treasury Police station.
(cfr. Sworn statement of Mr. Marco Antonio Montes-Letona of March 15, 1988, at the Office of the
Warden of the Pavón Rehabilitation Correctional Farm).
b.
In the February 19, 1988 confidential report of the Special
Investigations and Narcotics Brigade of the National Police, Police Officer II,
José Luis Castillo-Silva, Deputy Chief of Section, informed the Special
Investigations and Narcotics Brigade of the National Police that on February 19,
1988, at 3.00 p.m., he received a confidential telephone call informing him that
a brown vehicle bearing registration plate P-219022 with four persons inside
was parked on 16th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, Zone 1, of
Guatemala City. He also stated that, together with investigator Mario Armando
Castro-Palomo, he went to the address indicated, where they kept watch for
fifteen minutes. They observed on Ninth Avenue between 16 th and 17 th
Streets of Zone 1 a white Ford "van" with tinted windows, registration plate P123857. At 3.30 p.m. the vehicle described pulled away and parked in front of
the Hotel Capri, located on Ninth Avenue and 15 th Street, Zone 1. Persons
wearing the uniform of the Treasury Police got out and with the help of the
occupants of the brown vehicle, who were dressed in civilian clothes, they took
two individuals out of the hotel and put them in the white van. The detainees
were male and possibly foreign. Both vehicles drove away from the site.
(cfr. Confidential report of the Special Investigations and Narcotics Brigade of the National Police of
February 19, 1988, signed by Police Officer II, José Luis Castillo-Silva, Deputy Chief of Section, and
addressed to the Special Investigations and Narcotics Brigade of the National Police)
c.
The following information for February 19 was entered in the February
1988 log book of the Intelligence and Narcotics Section of the Treasury Police
Department:
members of the Treasury Police serving in this Intelligence and Narcotics Section,
on the public road near 11 th Street and 5 th Avenue of Zone 1 of this capital
city, in front of the offices of the National Bank in the “Banvi” building, captured
two individuals: MARCO ANTONIO MONTES-LETONA [and another …]. They also
seized from them two forged I.D. papers with which they were attempting to
change money […], for which reason they were arrested and taken before the
Thirteenth Criminal Justice of Peace.
(cfr. Log of activities of the Intelligence and Narcotics Section of the Treasury Police Department for
February 1988, folio number six).
d.
By official communication of June 14, 1988, the Thirteenth Criminal
Justice of Peace informed Judge Trejo-Duque that on February 20, 1988, Mr.
Montes-Letona, accused of the crimes of forgery, theft and unlawful use of
identity papers, was placed at the disposal of the Court. The proceedings were
subsequently sent to the Fifth Court of Criminal First Instance on February 23,
1988.