ENGLISH VERSION
El 28 de septiembre de 2011, la Jueza Quinta de lo Civil de Pichincha, quien lleva el juicio por daño moral interpuesto por el presidente Rafael Correa contra los periodistas Juan Carlos Calderón y Christian Zurita, aceptó que este rinda «juramento deferido» como prueba a su favor (confesión de sí mismo). Decisión que ha sido rechazada por la defensa de los comunicadores por “ilegal, absurda y atentatoria contra el debido proceso”.
Ramiro Aguilar, abogado defensor de los periodistas, aseguró que la decisión de la jueza es inadmisible puesto que bajo las leyes del Ecuador, el juramento deferido es pedido por una parte para que la otra jure, pero no se puede pedir este juramento para sí misma.Aguilar explicó que esta prueba en un juicio civil es decisoria. “Lo que se jura, se sentencia.
Por lo cual, resulta absurdo de que el acusador vaya al juzgado, se reciba su juramento y sobre eso se produzca la sentencia”, puntualizó el abogado.La defensa de los periodistas ha pedido la revocatoria de esta providencia. Sin embargo, aún no han recibido respuesta .
La Jueza ha fijado para el 20 de octubre, la declaración jurada del Presidente.La semana pasada, la defensa de los periodistas presentó más de 34 documentos y 20 pruebas ante el juzgado, con el fin de desvirtuar la acusación del Primer Mandatario por supuesto daño moral causado por los periodistas, al presentar en el libro de investigación «el Gran Hermano», las declaraciones del hermano del Presidente sobre que este sí conocía de los contratos del primero con el Estado.
El Presidente ha demandado a los periodistas, por esta causa, en el ámbito civil y ha pedido una indemnización de $10 millones de dólares.
Journalists Calderón and Zurita’s defense denounces irregularities in trial initiated by president Correa
On 14 November 2011, the Fifth Civil Judge in Pichincha, MaríaPortilla, in charge of the trial for moral damage initiated by President Rafael Correa against journalists Juan CarlosCalderón and Christian Zurita, decided not to hold office or pronounce herself about the appeal for the review of facts requested by the communicators’ defense. The judge set a new date for the chief of state to issue his decisory oath (self-confession) as evidence in his own favor, for 28 November.
Ramiro Aguilar, the journalists’ defense lawyer, stated to Fundamedios that the fact that the judge did not pronounce herself about the appeal and ratified instead her decision to receive the chief of state’s declaration is a serious cause for the annulment of the process. He regretted that “there will be no legal way of preventing the illegality involved in accepting the decisory oath”.
On 28 September, the same judge accepted Rafael Correa’s “decisory oath”. However, the communicator’s defense rejected this decision at the time describing it as “illegal, absurd and a threat against due process”. He first presented an appeal and then requested a review of facts to prevent the oath from taking place, considering it lacked a legal basis.
At the time Aguilar asserted that the judge’s decision was inadmissible because under Ecuadorian laws, a decisory oath has to be requested by the other party, it cannot be a one-way decision. He explained that in a civil trial this evidence is decisive.“What is sworn is sentenced.Therefore, it would turn out to be absurd that the accuser should go to the tribunal to present his oath and that the sentence should be based on this”, the lawyer stated explicitly.
On the other hand, Gutemberg Vera, one of the president’s lawyers, stated in a public notice that decisory oaths are legal in any process. Concerning the appeals presented by the journalists’ defense, he said, “it is clear that none of the subterfuges, pettifoggery, lies and fabrications that they continue inventing are going to prevent them from being sentenced. The defendants are conscious that they committed slander with no evidence but do not want to accept it because it would look bad before the public”.
The chief of state accused the journalists of alleged moral damage, caused by presenting in the investigative book «El Gran Hermano», the declarations made by the president’s brother about his knowledge about the latter’scontracts with the State. In this lawsuit, filed as a private citizen, Rafael Correa requests compensatory damages amounting to $10 million dollars.