Before Judge Fredy Orellana, Salvador Noah Batz accepted the accusations that the Public Ministry (MP) charged him. Batz served as Secretary of Finance and Transparency of the Semilla Movement Party from January 15 to September 12, 2019.
During the First Declaration Hearing, Prosecutor Leonor Eugenia Morales explained that during the investigation the batz firm was identified in eight documents that were delivered to the TSE related to the management of the financial resources of the group and that they would have been a reason for findings by the electoral entity.
“You together with your partners carried out actions aimed at hiding the real origin of obtaining funds by the political group, and thus not allowing the determination of the origin of money, this according to the following actions,” said prosecutor Morales during her speech.
“The political group did not use the Clear Guatemala system in 2019, which was mandatory for the accountability of political organizations, thus revealing the lack of transparency in its financing, observing an opaque conduct to accountability to which it is legally obliged, thus preventing control and control by the Supreme Electoral Court,” Morales said.
Judge Fredy Orellana He resolved to link him to criminal proceedings for the crimes indicated by the Public Ministry. Given what the judge, Batz through his defense lawyer requested to submit to the special procedure for acceptance of charges and this account to have a brief trial.
Accept charges
After Judge Fredy Orellana accepted Batz’s request, he granted the word to manifest himself on the facts indicated by the Public Ministry. “Honorable judge, I accept the charges that are charged with me and I accept criminal responsibility, but I must clarify a situation,” said the prosecuted before the judge.
“At no time was I part of having altered the financial statements they present today. Obviously, that evidence that you have yes, is real and is there, but I was not part of all that. I accept the responsibility because from the moment I realized certain situations I had to have filed a complaint to the Public Ministry where I was limited to exercise my functions in which I would have realized in detail of how all the information was presented by the Prosecutor’s Office. ”Batz said.
Batz also pointed out that he did not know the content of the reports presented by the political group. “I was limited to some extent all this information presented today by the Prosecutor’s Office, I did not know it, I was not aware, but it exists and is real,” he said in the hearing room.
Fernando Linares Beltranena, complainant in the case, He questioned Batz and he responded to the interrogation and pointed to the assumptions responsible for having committed the facts that are syndicated.
Beltranena -“You signed eight documents, you are evidenced. Who pressed it to sign the documents? “
Batz -“A pressure as such did not exist, because the information to which I did not have access was always managed.”
Beltranena – “Does Batz mean you signed without reading the document you presented for your signature?”
Batz – “Not as it has been pressed, but in a way yes.
Batz – “There was a National Executive Committee in which I made decisions for a long time that I did never respected what I said and that always persisted in the party.”
Following his story, Batz declared himself guilty to Judge Fredy Orellana.
“I accept my fault because I did not lend myself to those situations that occurred, but they gave themselves. Within my responsibility I accept it because I had to act at that time when I had limited me about my functions for me to realize what was being done, that it was transparent and real. I did not do it and that is my responsibility, so I know that I am here. I accept the charges, I lent myself to that. ”
Beltranena -Licenciado Batz, touches the sincerity with which you tell us, but you say that you were under the pressure of the National Executive Committee. Specifically, who or the entire National Executive Committee?
Batz – “National Executive Committee entered three people by opposition, from the West basically. Alfonso López, from San Marcos; Donald Urizar de Quetzaltenango; and Salvador Batz de Totonicapán. We wanted all this to become legal, transparent and in the best way for the country to change.
Unfortunately, on the way we realized that this did not happen. The National Executive Committee made decisions in which no matter how much we were always gaining. ”
The complainant insisted on knowing the names of the members of the Executive Committee of the party and questioned again about the subject.
Beltranena – “The National Executive Committee asked you to sign those eight documents?
Batz – “Yes, because it was part of my functions and the already in charge of the Propation Committee was a team that was already the creation of the game and that same team only passed it when I was given the position of Secretary of Finance.”
Beltranena -Among were someone who spoke to you, who said or different people that you sign those eight documents?
Batz – “There was no specific person, but, for example, in the event that it made decisions to expedite the procedures, Samuel and Ligia were the managers and the attachments. But in itself, it was a meeting that were rarely held at an assembly. The main Samuel Pérez and Ligia Hernández were the ones who weave and handle the entire financing issue.
Judgment
After the acceptance of charges, Judge Fredy Orellana issued a sentence against Batz, but benefited from the reduction of the convictions. Batz was captured on Thursday, February 27 in Totonicapán, indicated for the electoral control of not registered electoral financing and by accepting charges, it will recover their freedom.
Former Ligia Hernández was already processed within the judicial folder and He also accepted the charges against him on November 11, 2024.