Patrolman Convicted in Marelbys Mez Beating Case Blames Govt: ‘I Never Imagined The Bureau Would Make Up A Lie’

In a decisive verdict, the 53rd Judge of Bogotá on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, sentenced police officer Alfonso Quinchanegu and mayor Dana Canizales to ten years in prison for their involvement in the illegal espionage of Marelbys Meza, the former nanny of Laura, who at the time was the former chief of staff of President Gustavo Petro.

The case, known as the “presidential case”, brought into focus the management of the structures of the Colombian government and the Casa de Nariño.

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The prosecutor’s office said that “two uniformed officers participated in various irregular actions to obtain orders to intercept the communications of Marelbys Meza, a former employee of the former Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic, Laura Camila Sarabia Torres.”

They even stated that “the evidence of the public prosecutor’s office showed that the mayor of Quinchanegua and the patrol officer of Canizales Bonilla used false documents to induce the theft prosecutor of the Bogotá section to order the intervention of the cell lines of Marelbys Meza and those very close to her.” .” , as part of an investigation into the loss of money at the residence of Mrs. Sarabia Torres.”

Following the sentencing, Patrolman Dana Canizales gave key testimony during the trial, detailing how she was told that the information sent to carry out the espionage came directly from the Bureau.

“They told me that it was information from the presidency, from the house of Nariño, because I never imagined that the presidency would invent any lie or information that is not true,” Canizales admitted during the trial, as reported. Week.

In his statement, Canizales described the pressure he received from his superiors to continue the wiretapping. “It didn’t occur to me that they would lie, I was just doing my job; of course also because of the pressure,” Canizales said in his testimony to the authorities.

He even highlighted the coordination between the Bureau and the official commanders. He emphasized that even the boss Sijín knew about the case. “Of course also because of the pressure. Not only my captain was there, but also the head of Sijín asked about the case,” explained Canizales.

Regarding the instruction that would come from the Bureau, he testified: “They said they got the information from a source that was from the Bureau. I asked my captain Mojica who he was and he said, “a source from the Bureau.” They didn’t take it physically, I don’t know in what way, whether it was by mail or the phones that I used and they took the form that was with my signature, they worked on it with the information that it was sent from the presidency,” he said.

In order to guarantee a coherent and uniform management of information, Canizales’ superiors would take specific measures. “Come on, sign the source,” his captain Mojica would tell him, so the patrol boat signed without question. He also said, “My captain Mojica will print it out and give it to me to sign. I am signing it because I trusted him completely,” despite the obvious edits that had been made to the instruction.

Additionally, Mojica allegedly instructed Canizales and others involved to maintain a consistent timeline and version of events prior to key interrogations.

During the court hearing, the patrol also revealed the fear and internal tension experienced by the participants in the controversial case. During questioning, Canizales expressed his fear of potential personal and family consequences given the high profile of the case and the involvement of superiors. “I’m afraid it’s a connotation, there are many superiors in this process and they can do something to me or my family,” he admitted to the authorities.

The crimes charged by the agents were procedural fraud, material falsification of a public document and ideological falsehood of a public document. During the meeting, both police officers accepted their responsibility in a preliminary agreement, which earned them a sentence of 112.2 months in prison (equivalent to nine years and four months), a fine of 354.15 of the current legal minimum wage and the impossibility of serving a prison sentence. perform a public function for 77.3 months.