Lawyer Jordi Veras saved his life in an attempted murder but lost the sight of one eye. Now an inmate rehabilitation program has him coinciding with his victimizer in the Santiago courthouse. His victimizer is studying law at the Universidad Abierta and was authorized to do an internship at the same courthouse where Veras practices law.
Veras criticized that his victimizer, Candy Caminero, sentenced to 30 years for attempted murder, benefits from the internship after serving nine years of his sentence. Veras said he lost five years of his professional life when his case was long drawn out. He said he was not given the opportunities Caminero today is receiving. He says the new program sends a negative message of reduced consequences for committing murder.
Caminero is a former police agent who was hired by businessman Adriano Román to kill Veras, who was the lawyer of Román’s former spouse, Miguelina Llaverías. Román would be served a 20-year sentence but died in 2017.
Veras said that the judge should have been more aware of the victim. Veras said Caminero is the 22nd inmate that benefits from a new program that allows convicted criminals to leave the jail to work. “What is the regime of consequences?” asked Veras. He said the criminal’s rehabilitation should be within the jail. Veras said he complained to the judge that Caminero’s case was worse because he was hired to carry out the murder when working as a policeman. He said the internship reduces the severity of the crime, it appears Caminero did no harm and is due this award.
The judge Rubén Darío Uceta argues that he had already authorized similar benefits to 21 other inmates, including another accused of murder, and could not act differently in the case of Caminero. Veras and his lawyer proposed that the internship be carried out inside the jail assisting other inmates, but this was rejected by the judge in his efforts to guarantee the rights of the inmate, regardless of the rights of the victim. He said the judges have to put themselves into the shoes of the victims. Veras has filed an official protest.
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El Caribe
24 October 2019