The hearing to formulate the accusation against former mayor Daniel Quintero and 12 other defendants in the Aguas Vivas case became a legal battleground this Friday. The day, which began at 3:00 pm on November 21, focused on the request for annulment of the charges presented by several defense attorneys, a tactic that the Attorney General’s Office described as an attempt to delay the judicial process.

After two and a half hours of interventions, the 22nd Criminal Judge of the Medellín Circuit decided to postpone the procedure. The continuation of the process, key to determining the responsibility of those involved, was rescheduled for a date between February and March of next year.

In total, four lawyers asked the judge to declare the accusation null and void. Their argument was based on alleged errors, gaps and failures in the legal procedures carried out during that stage, which, according to them, violated the fundamental guarantees of their clients.

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Medellin City

The response of the Prosecutor’s Office was immediate and energetic. Yarlecy Mena Benítez, deputy prosecutor of the Public Administration Unit in Medellín, warned about what she considers a strategy to stop the progress of the trial:

“The defense has tried, I say this respectfully, to strategically turn this stage of the prosecution proceedings into a scenario to reconsider or question the legality of the indictment hearing.” expressed Mena Benítez

With the process now paused until 2026, the judge must decide whether the requested annulments succeed. If accepted, the entire imputation stage would have to be repeated, although the Prosecutor’s Office would have the possibility of appealing the decision before the Superior Court of Medellín.