The statements of the victims by sexual exploitation and child abuse against the senator Gustavo Penades they will begin this Wednesday and will take place until Friday, however, there is still a discrepancy regarding the need to preserve their identity.
Yesterday, specifically at 8:00 p.m., the hearing ended to determine the questions that would be asked of the victims. In this sense, the lawyer Sebastian Mauvezin – who is pointed out as the link between minors and the legislator of the National Party (NP) to then be sexually exploited –, Juan Carlos Fernandezestablished that there were “few agreements and many disagreements” regarding the need to know the identity of the complainants.
In this sense, the defense of the complainants, Soledad Suarez, stressed that the identity of the complainants is supported by the Court of Appeals. “They are the only data that are not there and it is not appropriate that they are, because a court of second instance has already resolved,” explained the lawyer.
At the end of July, the Court of Appeals resolved that it will keep the identity of the senator’s whistleblowers confidential Gustavo Penadesafter rejecting your defense requestas well as that of the History teacher, Sebastian Mauvezin.
Lawyer Juan Raúl William added that Penadés’ defense had access to all the data, except the identities. “We have the guarantee that we know that they accessed the tax file. We are very sure that everyone had access to the tax file and that the only thing that was not there was what was related to the personal information. Very little, the rest of the information is there”, he remarked.
A revictimizing justice
The defense lawyer assured that it is of the utmost importance to preserve the identity of the complainants because “we must take care that situations that generate fear do not arise.” In this sense, William added that “the mere passage through the justice system is revictimizing” and that their job is to make them feel empowered.
The care that was taken in terms of the identity of the complainants is, first of all, the use of a closed videoconference system where the image is not seen in the transmission and the voice is distorted. On the other hand, only the Prosecutor’s Office knows the buildings where the declarations will be made as a way of protecting those who declare.
Gustavo Penadés insists that it is “a plot against him”
In mid-July, penades He received a new complaint for sexual exploitation by Jonathan Mastropierrowho had already publicly stated that he had had sexual encounters when he was a minor with the former member of the National Party.
For his part, penades ensures that the actions of Mastropierro, who He was imprisoned for committing 5 crimes of fraud against UNICEF Uruguay and a local financial is part of a “plot” against him.
Faced with this, the lawyer Suarez responded that “she has the right to have the theory of the case that corresponds to her. And it is true, he is innocent until proven guilty and we are going to prove it ”.
Source: Ambito
