The former mayor of Escobar Luis Patti began on Monday to be tried for crimes against humanity charges of aggravated murder, nine cases of illegal abductions and torture in four of the last dictatorship in the first process in oral against after the end of his political career when he was arrested following the reopening of the criminal case on these facts.
The former commissioner was entered minutes before eleven a side door on a stretcher, covered with a blanket and with his eyes closed the auditorium Hugo del Carril of the locality of José León Suárez, where he began the trial by the Federal Court in San Martin 1. Patti
addition
are judged the former de facto president Reynaldo Bignone, former General Santiago Omar Riveros and former Commissioner Escobar Juan Fernando Meneghini, who was head of Patti when he served with the inspector in charge of the branch officer of that northern town of Buenos Aires until 1977.
cases that are tried are the abduction and murder in a mock traffic accident of former deputy Diego Muniz Barreto and his secretary Juan Jose Fernandez, who escaped and testified to what happened before he died abroad.
sequestration also of young high school students and activists Carlos Souto, brothers Guillermo and Luis D'Amico and Osvaldo Ariosti, the last-released in 1978 and the kidnapping and murder of Gaston Goncalves, which Patti is accused of aggravated homicide. Just arrived
the couch with the accused, the court president gave Larrandart Lucila trial started reading the indictment in the statement made by Jorge Sica, in a room full of activists from human rights organizations briefly whistled Patti's entry to the premises. Surrounded
counted
family, nurses and prison guards, the former commissioner went on stage next to the alternatives reading, which reminded the first indictment against him for murder with malice of the young Gaston Goncalves, kidnapped by a group he joined and taken to the police station Escobar, where he was tortured. Aware
without opening his eyes at any time, semitapado by guards of the prison service, accompanied by nurses from a company at times of emergencies we took the pressure and spoke in his ear, Patti spent the morning lying on the couch hospital, covered by a gray blanket of green trim and dress shoes fitness equipment and sports
.
judges disposed to attend the trial after receiving the week pass a final medical report that could tell a good position to be present, despite his arrest continue Fleni clinic to undergo rehabilitation following a stroke after an operation.
both the requirement of Sica and in that of the prosecuting attorneys for the family Goncalves, read by the afternoon, said Patti had an "anger" with the militant particular steward of Escobar, who had threatened several times .
also be remembered, among other tests, which in a democracy an employee of the cemetery direct threats
Escobar reported the then Mayor Patti when he wanted to sue justice that the place had bodies buried as NN from the dictatorship.
The woman made the allegation, Patricia Grace Chu, was expelled from the cemetery and the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team performed the tests on remains found and identified thus Goncalvez.
As Muniz Barreto and his secretary was proven that Patti was the one who stopped them both in a butcher, took to the branch and from there they both were taken to simulate the accident which killed the former legislator.
The trial began half an hour later than planned, with judges Larrandart, Marta Milloc and Horacio Sagretti sitting in the back of the stage, Illuminated by spotlights, amid tight security measures that included cutting the adjacent streets to the site of Buenos Aires district of San Martín. Patti
is defended by the former head of the National Chamber of Criminal Appeal and Silvio Bisordi Alfredo Duarte, who after a break asked the court permission to continue the trial Patti inside the ambulance, as if it were an adjacent room to room .
Amid murmurs of disapproval from the audience, the lawyer said that in the morning had been 160 over 100 of
pressure and experienced physical ailments, whereupon Larrandart granted the request. The defendants face
charges of "violation of domicile on two occasions, illegal deprivation of freedom aggravated by abuse of authority, violence and threats in nine chances, tormenting political persecution worsened in six opportunities and murder aggravated by treachery."
The first hearing was attended Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Founding Line Nora Cortinas and Taty Almeida, among others, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, relatives of the victims whose cases are tried, such as former deputy Diego Muniz Barreto and members as the court in July Piumato . In the hall waved banners with pictures of victims and a group of children waited nearby.
Patti entered the police station Escobar on 4 January 1972 and served until March 7, 1977 with the rank of deputy inspector and according to the charges was in charge of intelligence and traveled area factories looking listings
delegates who were illegally detained.
were read in the day of the prosecution allegations, complaints by relatives of victims and the Human Rights Secretariat of the Nation, which also operates in the cause.
The hearings will continue next Thursday mid-October and is scheduled to begin the testimony.
Télam / Drafting Rosario
