-40some people about the case.”
48(55) On May 3, 2001, at the request of the prosecutor assigned to the case, the
Chalatenango Trial Court ordered the inspection of the logbooks of the No. 1 Military
Detachment of Chalatenango, who were based in La Sierpe district during June and
July 1982. This inspection was carried out on July 16, 2001, two month and thirteen
days after the court ordered it (infra para. 48(57)) and after two requests from the
prosecutor (infra para. 48(56)). However, during the procedure, the court did not
order the judicial inspection of the records of the Joint General Staff of the Armed
Forces and the logbooks of the Air Force, which had been requested by the
prosecutor assigned to the proceeding (supra paras. 48(53) and infra para. 48(68)).
48(56) On June 26, 2001, the prosecutor assigned to the proceedings filed a brief
before the Chalatenango Trial Court stating that “the judicial inspection[s] in the
logbooks of the Salvadoran Air Force[…], and in the records of the Armed Forces for
[the] month[s] of June and July [1982]” had not been carried out (supra paras.
48(53), 48(54) and 48(55)). On July 12, 2001, the prosecutor repeated his request
that this judicial inspections of the Air Force logbooks and the records of the Armed
Forces should be carried out as soon as possible, and also requested the judicial
inspection of the logbooks, files and records that the No. 1 Military Detachment of
Chalatenango kept during June and July 1982, which had been ordered by the said
court (supra para. 48(55)). The prosecutor also requested that a judicial inspection
be carried out of the logbooks, files and records of the Fourth Infantry Brigade of El
Paraíso, Chalatenango.
48(57) On July 16, 2001, the Chalatenango Trial Court indicated that the judicial
inspection of the logbooks of the No. 1 Military Detachment should be carried out on
August 9, 2001, and issued an order for the El Paraíso Magistrate to inspect the
logbooks of the Fourth Infantry Brigade of El Paraíso, Chalatenango, more than three
months after the prosecutor assigned to the proceeding had first requested these
inspections (supra paras. 48(53)).
48(58) Regarding the inspection of the logbooks of the No. 1 Military Detachment of
Chalatenango (supra para. 48(55) and 48(57)), on July 26, 2001, the Chalatenango
Trial Court issued an official letter to the Commander of the detachment informing
him of the date and time fixed for carrying out the said judicial inspection.
48(59) Regarding the inspection of the logbooks of the El Paraíso Fourth Infantry
Brigade (supra para. 48(56)), the Chalatenango Trial Court only sent the order to the
respective Magistrate’s Court on August 7, 2001.
48(60) On August 9, 2001, the judicial inspection of the logbooks, files and records
for June and July 1982 of the No. 1 Military Detachment of Chalatenango was carried
out (supra para. 48(55) and 48(57)). Nevertheless, it was only possible to inspect
the “logbook of the Third Fusiliers Company,” because “the […] person responsible
for the general files [of this] Military Detachment” stated that “none of the other
logbooks requested could be found.” “No information of any kind” about the sisters,
Ernestina and Erlinda Serrano Cruz, was found in the logbook inspected. Also, while
the said inspection was being carried out, the No. 1 Military Detachment’s personnel
officer stated that “the logbook of the captain of the barracks w[ould] be provided”
on August 23, 2001, to verify any information concerning the Serrano Cruz sisters
and that he would try and find information on the sisters. The judge told this officer
that she would forward the pertinent passages of the case she was investigating to