Interpol Registers Top Ortega Officials Wanted by Argentina
Prosecutor Eduardo Taiano reported that Interpol has already provided information about the officials, who will be detained if they travel outside Nicaragua.
HAVANA TIMES – The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has indexed and provided information to Argentina about 10 of the 16 high-ranking Nicaraguan officials who, along with President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, have an international investigation and arrest warrant issued by Argentine justice. The resolution was signed by federal judge Ariel Lijo, confirmed federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano.
Taiano, led a discussion on the subject on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, in San Jose, Costa Rica. He stated that 15 officials have warrants against them; however, the resolution issued by federal judge Ariel Lijo indicates that there are 18 Nicaraguans, including the dictatorial couple. These individuals are accused of possible responsibility for the severe human rights violations in Nicaragua in 2018.
In addition to Ortega and Murillo, the following individuals are named in the order issued by Judge Lijo on December 30, 2024:
General Julio Cesar Aviles Castillo, commander-in-chief of the Nicaraguan Army, accused of providing weapons to paramilitary groups.
Francisco Díaz Madriz, the head of the National Police, an institution responsible for the detentions and human rights violations.
Nestor Moncada Lau, presidential advisor for security policies and responsible for intelligence and counterintelligence to identify dissidents.
Oscar Mojica Obregon, head of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI), responsible for designing and implementing the “exile, prison, or death” plan.
Gustavo Porras Cortes, president of the National Assembly, accused of involvement in the repression of the April 2018 protests.
Roberto Jose Lopez, director of the Nicaraguan Institute of Social Security (INSS), who allegedly collaborated with Porras.
Retired Major General Oscar Balladares, presidential advisor on security and defense, accused of being “part of the planning of the repression.”
Sonia Castro Gonzalez, former Minister of Health of Nicaragua, for ordering the refusal of medical treatment to the wounded in the protests and firing doctors who did not comply with the order.
Leonardo Ovidio Reyes Ramirez, president of the Central Bank, for financing the Ortega Murillo family and their criminal activities.
Fidel Antonio Moreno Briones, secretary of the Managua City Hall.
Jose Francisco Lopez Centeno, treasurer of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).
Ramon Antonio Avellan Medal, deputy head of the National Police.
Lumberto Ignacio Campbell Hooker, magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE).
Ramona Rodriguez, rector of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua and president of the National University Council.
Alba Luz Ramos, former president of the Supreme Court of Justice.
Aminta Granera, former director of the National Police, who led the institution during the April 2018 repression.
Prosecutor Taiano assured that the arrest alert “is still in process; it’s a long process… it depends on Interpol.”
He noted that from now on, the process will be slow because, although there is an arrest warrant, “it is very difficult for these officials to leave the country.” However, he stressed, “it’s important for the future.”
“We are not hunters, we are fishermen. And if for some reason, at some point, during a trip, they appear in another country, they can be detained. We cannot go hunting people,” Taiano added.
Eduardo Taiano: “There will be no trial in absentia”
The trial against Ortega, Murillo, and the other officials is rooted before an Argentine criminal judge under the principle of “universal jurisdiction.” After an initial complaint made in August 2022, nine evidence extensions have been presented, with testimonies from victims, expert witnesses, and confidential witnesses.
Eduardo Taiano clarified that Argentine justice “does not plan” to judge those accused in absentia. The Ortega dictatorship has not commented on this trial nor responded to calls to testify.
If extradition is obtained, Taiano explained that a “very complex trial” would begin because they will argue that “they do not want to be extradited because they are Nicaraguan citizens and do not want to be tired in Argentina.”
“If this situation occurs, extradition does not happen; instead, the person comes to Argentina and gives a statement, which is the first act of defense for any person in any case. Once the inquiry is made, and the facts and evidence are written, the judge has ten days to issue a ruling on whether to process that person,” the federal prosecutor explained.
The accused can appeal that decision, “and once the appeal is confirmed by the Federal Court, we are notified to elevate it to trial and a trial is held,” he stated.
A criminal case is well-supported
The criminal case against the dictatorship is supported, to date, with seven reports from international human rights organizations that have collected testimonies and accounts of repression that took place in Nicaragua since April 2018. It also includes testimonies from at least eight victims of Ortega and Murillo’s repression.
The reports taken as evidence were written by:
• The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
• Human Rights Watch.
• The United Nations.
• The Group of Independent Experts.
• Amnesty International.
• The Special Monitoring Mechanism for Nicaragua of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
• The organization “Coalición Nicaragua Lucha.”
For this reason, prosecutor Eduardo Taiano dismissed the possibility of continuing to receive testimonies, as he believes all the information gathered “is sufficient evidence to continue advancing.”
First published in Spanish by Confidencial and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.