Global Courant
Gustavo Alejos, former private secretary of the Presidency, this Wednesday, June 14, was sentenced to eight years and eight months in commutable prison for illicit association, influence peddling and active bribery in the Health Negotiators Case.
The Eleventh Court assured that it was established that Gustavo Alejos in the aforementioned case committed the aforementioned crimes.
Alejos for the crime of illicit association was sentenced to six years in prison, but reduced by a third, he was left in four commutable years in prison at a rate of Q30 per day. While for influence peddling the sentence is two years in prison, which was reduced to one year and four months and always at a rate of Q30 per day.
For the crime of active bribery the sentence is five years, but for the reduction by one third it is three years and four months. In addition, a fine of Q33 thousand 333.33.
Alejos and the other four convicts rigged the award of contracts for medicines at the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS).
The sentence was handed down through the figure of acceptance of charges by Alejos and the others involved.
On May 26, the Public Ministry (MP) requested a sentence of 24 years in prison (reduced by one third) for Gustavo Alejos, who two days earlier pleaded guilty to having made fraudulent negotiations in the IGSS with the purchase and alteration of medicines, reported judicial sources.
On May 24, Alejos, who was Private Secretary of the Presidency during the government of Álvaro Colom, and four others implicated in the Negociantes de la Salud case accepted the charges that the MP imputed against them in the corruption case related to the sale of medicines to the IGSS.
This case was a plot to favor companies with the purchase of medicines by the IGSS, some of which, according to the investigation, were subject to irregular modifications.
During his statement on that occasion before the judges, Alejos stated: “I apologize for all the damage I did to the people of Guatemala, especially to my family, it is a lesson for everyone (…).
Businessman Alejandro Enrique Toledo Paz, when accepting guilt in the Health Negotiators case, said: “We create needs to sell medicines.”
In that May 24 hearing at the Eleventh Criminal Sentencing Court, the defendants Alejandro Enrique Toledo Paz, former director of the Roosevelt Hospital, and Juan Pablo Muralles Morán, a businessman in the health sector, also accepted charges.
José Rodolfo Barrientos Montepeque, a representative of a pharmaceutical company, and César Estuardo Hernández Monroy, who worked as an IGSS doctor, also accepted charges.
Barrientos Montepeque was found guilty of illicit association and influence peddling; while Alejandro Enrique Toledo Paz is the author responsible for illicit association, influence peddling, active bribery.
Juan Pablo Muralles Morán was found guilty of illicit association, active bribery and influence peddling. César Estuardo Hernández Monroy committed the crimes of illicit association and passive bribery.
The Court sentenced Barrientos Montepeque for illicit association to six years in prison, reduced by one third, to four commutable years at a rate of Q30 per day. For influence peddling, he was sentenced to two years in prison and that reduced corresponds to one year and four months, commutable also at a rate of Q30 per day.
Alejandro Enrique Toledo Paz for illicit association was sentenced to six years in prison, which is reduced to four commutable years, also at a rate of Q30 per day. While for influence peddling two years in prison, but reduced to one year and four months at a rate of Q30 per day.
For active bribery, the already reduced sentence is three years and four months in prison, commutable, always at a rate of Q30 per day. In addition, you must pay a fine of Q33 thousand 333.33.
Juan Pablo Muralles Morán for the crime of illicit association received a sentence of six years in prison, but reduced to four years, always at a rate of Q30 per day. For influence peddling, the sentence was reduced by one third to one year and four months, also at a rate of Q30 per day.
Also read: The United States sanctions Gustavo Alejos and Felipe Alejos for corruption, who is also accused by the United Kingdom
While for active bribery the reduced penalty is three years and four months commutable at a rate of Q30 per day. They also imposed a fine of Q33 thousand 333.33.
César Estuardo Hernández Monroy was sentenced for illegal association to six years in prison, but for acceptance of charges it is four commutable years at a rate of Q30 per day, for passive bribery three years and four months at a rate of Q30 per day. Fine of Q33 thousand 333.
The accessory sentence for the five sentenced is special disqualification to obtain positions, jobs with the State and public commissions for a period of five years.
#NOW | Gustavo Alejos, former private secretary of the presidency, is sentenced to eight years and eight months in commutable prison for illicit association, influence peddling and active bribery. pic.twitter.com/anlcYkAP3B
— Edwin Pitan (@Epitan_PL) June 14, 2023
