Jailed Nicaraguan opposition chief Chamorro, brother discovered responsible

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MANAGUA — A former Nicaraguan presidential hopeful and her brother have been discovered responsible of a number of monetary crimes late Friday, kinfolk of the 2 advised Reuters.

Cristiana Chamorro, who was forward of present President Daniel Ortega within the polls when she was arrested in June 2021, and her brother, former lawmaker Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Barrios, had been outspoken critics of Ortega’s administration till their arrests, which america and worldwide human rights teams have denounced as politically motivated.

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The 2 are the youngsters of former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who beat Ortega within the 1990 elections to finish his first time period. He took workplace once more in 2007 and received re-election a fourth consecutive time final yr after a lot of his opponents have been jailed.

Chamorro was convicted of laundering cash via a free speech group she ran, which was dissolved early final yr after legal guidelines limiting nonprofit operations within the nation have been handed. Prosecutors mentioned Chamorro obtained cash from overseas via the group “to destabilize the federal government.”

She and her brother have been additionally convicted of abusive administration and misappropriation and retention of funds. Prosecutors are looking for a 13-year sentence for Chamorro, which she is going to have the ability to serve beneath home arrest. Three former basis staff have been additionally convicted. Her brother may obtain as much as seven years in jail.

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Attorneys for Chamorro and her brother had denied the costs.

“My siblings Pedro Joaquin and Cristiana Chamorro proclaimed their innocence within the jiffy they needed to converse,” their brother Carlos Chamorro mentioned in a Tweet after the conviction.

Chamorro was arrested the identical week as seven different potential political rivals. A complete of 46 opponents to leftist Ortega, a former guerrilla commander, have been jailed throughout final yr’s elections.

Earlier this week, U.N. Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged Ortega to re-establish a “credible, honest and clear electoral course of” forward of municipal elections within the Central American nation later this yr. (Reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by Kylie Madry; Enhancing by Edmund Klamann)