Juan Requesens, a lawmaker imprisoned for allegedly attempting against the life of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, denied the charges during a hearing Tuesday, his lawyer said.
Judge Enid Lopez asked Requesens to adhere to a speedy trial procedure by admitting his involvement in the attack. Requesens said no, he would not as he wasn’t involved. The other 17 defendants also denied involvement.
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Lawyer Joel Garcia said, denouncing that Judge Lopez showed a partiality against Requesens. The case will resume on January 22nd.
“All of the 17 defendants as one declared that no, not one of them was going to accept the procedure of admitting to the facts, and in the particular case of lawmaker Juan Carlos Requesens he cannot admit to some facts that he had not committed, there can’t be a crime if a crime has not been committed,” Garcia added.
Maduro regime has sequestered the hearings, which are public by law, without explanation. Only counsel and one or two relatives are allowed access inside the court. Requesens has been in jail for more than 500 days. To the lawmaker had his parliamentary immunity violated and was arrested without a warrant a few days after the August 2018 drone “attack” against Maduro during a military parade. The truth of the attack has been challenged by the opposition, which has claimed it was just a “red herring” to justify a crackdown.
