The magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) did not grant a provisional amparo to the victim’s institute, which sought to separate all the togados from the Court of Chiquimula in the case Melisa Palacios.
At the discretion of the CSJ, the circumstances of the case do not merit a ruling in favor because none of the supposed contained in article 28 of the Amparo Law, Personal and Constitutional Exhibition.
The adhesive complainants also denounced before the Public Ministry (MP) that Flor de María Bonilla Archila, mother of the syndicate María Fernanda Bonilla Archilahe held private meetings with the judges of Chiquimula, allegedly to ensure that the suspects for the death of Melisa Palacios were benefited in the criminal process.
According to the MP investigation, María Fernanda Bonilla Archila and her bodyguard, José Luis Marroquín Ovalle, murdered Melisa Palacios on July 5, 2021.
“The court had indicated a hearing for September 5, 2024 but that the negotiations that Mrs. Flor de María Bonilla has made with the judges is that the hearing is celebrated in the month of October of the year 2024, because the judges of that turn will favor the accused within the process,” the complaint explained.
According to the victim’s institute, he will appeal the decision of the CSJ before the Constitutional Court (CC).
Bonds with drug trafficking
According to the researchers of the case, Bonilla and his mother have been subject to attacks armed by possible links with drug trafficking.
“We have followed up a structure in Zacapa that would have shot against mother and daughter, possibly for a struggle among the clans of drug trafficking,” said one of the researchers.
María Fernanda Bonilla Archila was shot in September 2020 in La Pepesca, Río Hondo, Zacapa. In that same village, his mother, Flor de María Bonilla, was also the victim of an armed attack in July 2021.
The relatives of Melisa Palacios have denounced the presence of armed groups that are located around the Court when the hearings are held against María Fernanda Bonilla and her bodyguard, José Luis Marroquín Ovalle.
They commented that, despite the ostentatious carrying of firearms, the National Civil Police (PNC) does not act against those people.
Criminal Chamber will analyze the transfer of the case to a court of greater risk
The CSJ resolved on April 2 that the Criminal Chamber must analyze whether the case of Melisa Palacios must be transferred to a Court of greater risk.
The resolution of the Court is derived from the challenge presented by the Prosecutor’s Office of Femicide and the victim’s institute, who opposed the initial ruling of the Chamber, which rejected transfer the case.
Family and friends of Melisa Palacios announced that in the next few days they will carry out a walk to demand that the Criminal Chamber transfer the case to a court of greater risk and justice be done.
Why does the MP seek that the case is no longer known in the court of Chiquimula?
The case of Melisa Palacios began in the Court of Zacapa and, according to the Public Ministry (MP), due to the change of crime imputed to Bonilla – homicide committed in a state of violent emotion – and José Luis Marroquín Ovalle – his own coach -, the situation in that judiciary became tense.
The manifestations and acts of violence began outside the court; The victim’s relatives were attacked, and those circumstances could justify that the case was transferred to Chiquimula, where the situation would be similar, the MP explained.