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Arauco Province: Supreme Court Upholds Prison Sentence for Those Convicted in Timber Theft Network

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• The highest court rejected the habeas corpus petitions filed, denouncing as illegal the Court of Appeals' revocation of the supervised release granted by the Cañete Court.

Three individuals convicted as members of a criminal timber theft network in Arauco Province must now effectively serve the prison sentence imposed by the judiciary.

The Supreme Court rejected the habeas corpus petitions, denouncing as illegal the Court of Appeals' revocation of the supervised release granted by the Cañete Court.

Earlier this year, Walter Araneda, Ricardo Escobar, and Guillermo Mesa received a 5-year sentence of supervised release after reaching an agreement with the Prosecutor's Office, which offered the defendants an abbreviated procedure in exchange for cooperation with the investigation, also avoiding a public trial.

The ruling with penalties for the crimes of timber theft, money laundering, and tax fraud was appealed by Forestal Arauco as the plaintiff, a motion accepted by the Concepción Court, which ordered the effective serving of prison sentences.

Against this decision, the defense teams of the convicted filed habeas corpus petitions, which were dismissed by the Supreme Court, thus upholding the appellate court's sentence. Defense lawyer Ángela Contreras is considering a final motion for reconsideration.

Another private defense attorney, César Ramírez, expressed a similar stance but assured that if the 5-year prison sentence for his client, Ricardo Escobar, stands, he will not evade justice.

District deputy Joanna Pérez, who chaired the Organized Crime Commission, has closely followed these investigations, emphasizing that cooperation has positive aspects but acknowledging potential shortcomings in the Prosecutor's Office's handling.

Ultimately, it will be the Cañete Guarantee Court's responsibility to enforce the Supreme Court's resolution, potentially through measures such as an arrest order.

Source:www.biobiochile.cl