Buenos Aires, March 4 (NA) – The defense of former Commissioner Walter Maciel, one of the defendants in the Loan case, confirmed that it will not appeal the start date of the trial set by the tribunal during the preliminary hearing. The defense cited the need to respect various schedules and even highlighted its surprise at the speed with which the case has progressed, which involves 90,000 pages of documents. Richard Vallejos, Maciel's lawyer, spoke with the Argentine News Agency and explained that during the hearing at the end of February, the aim was to establish some guidelines regarding witnesses and evidence, but 'an agreement was not reached between the parties.' The lawyer explained that the dispute arose when the prosecution attempted to admit most of the witnesses by reading their statements: 'This violates the right to a fair trial because we do not have the opportunity to cross-examine the witness, that is, to question them.' Regarding the date set for October 7, which will now be reviewed following a request from the parties, Vallejos stated: 'As for my defense, it is of no particular relevance. I understand that the urgency is a concern for the prosecution or the family of the missing child, but we must also take into account the shortage of judges, which is why the tribunal is made up of magistrates from other provinces.' 'Personally, the date might be changed, but only by a few days earlier. The plaintiff had requested May 8, but the tribunal has already rejected it,' he emphasized. Regarding his client, Maciel is being held at the Marcos Paz Federal Penitentiary Complex in the province of Buenos Aires and will have to travel to Corrientes to face the trial: 'The trial will take place in one of the halls of the Faculty of Law.' 'Maciel is anguished, but at the same calm, because he maintains, as do I, that he is innocent,' expressed the lawyer. Walter Maciel is accused. 'It took two years to fill in the gaps and carry out some checks,' he stated. Finally, Vallejos emphasized that he hopes his client will be released after the trial and that 'justice, at least the part that we are involved in litigating here, is very serious.'
