The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) on Wednesday sanctioned the Mayor of Libertador municipality of Mérida state, Carlos García Odón, to 15 months in prison for contempt of the injunction ordered by sentence No. 371 of last May 24, issued by the country’s highest court, which requested him to prevent the barricades and “guarimbas” (riots) in his municipality in order to guarantee the free transit of citizens.
“García ceases in the exercise of his duties as mayor of the Libertador municipality of Mérida state, and is declared his absolute fault and political disqualification”, says the statement issued by the courts.
For this reason, he will be put at the orders of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and was established as his place of imprisonment the headquarters of the aforementioned agency located in the capital city.
Following, the official statement by the TSJ:
The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), in a joint presentation of the judges and magistrates that comprise it, declared the contempt of the injunction issued by sentence No. 371 of last May 24 in which incurred citizen Carlos García Odón, provided for in Article 31 of the Organic Law on Safeguarding on Constitutional Rights and Guarantees.
Given the aforementioned, he was sanctioned to the fulfillment of fifteen months of prison, plus the accessory of law. Likewise, García ceases in the exercise of his duties as mayor of the Libertador municipality of Mérida state, and is declared his absolute fault and political disqualification.
In addition, will be put to the orders of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and was established as his place of imprisonment the headquarters of the mentioned agency located in the capital city. “He will remain in this place until a judge of first instance in duties of execution determines the definitive place of confinement,” said Judge Juan José Mendoza Jover, president of the Constitutional Chamber, when reading the sentence.
The measure of prohibition to leave the country of the sanctioned person, decreed in sentence No. 548 of July 28, 2017, is maintained, to guarantee his effective apprehension, due to the non-appearance to the hearing and the ignorance of his whereabouts, and was agreed with the SEBIN to proceed to process the red alert order to Interpol services to achieve his location and capture outside the national territory.
The Chamber also declared inadmissible on the grounds of article 133, numeral 5 of the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice, for the disrespectful character in the terms used in the brief of the challenge raised by Garcia Odón and his lawyer, For which they were penalized with a fine of 100 tax units.
This decision was taken by the members of the Constitutional Chamber after the oral and public hearing of the case was held on Wednesday at the High Court, where the parties presented their respective allegations, thereby giving due due process compliance and other Guarantees established in the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
