Fiscal General Rejects Blame in Mora Murder Case
The Fiscal General (chief prosecutor), Francisco Dall’Anesse, maintains that the courts failed in the case of the Ivannia Mora murder and not the prosecutor's office and police, whom the court justices say failed to make a case and set free six of the men accused of the crime.

Dall'Anese said yesterday that the Ministerio Público complied with all the regulations that law demands and the justices did not validate the proof that was presented before them.

The Fiscal General is being personally blamed by Eugenio Millot, the man believed to be the mastermind behind the murder. Millot was Mora's boss and was allegedly upset because the reporter was leaving his finance magazine to go to work for the competition.

Millot was charged with hiring Colombian hitmen to assassinate Mora, who was killed by two gunmen riding a motorcycle on 23 December 2003. Four Colombians and a Nicaraguan stood trial beside Millot.

"Talking to the fiscales (prosecutors) we concluded that we fell in a trap. The law says that we must turn to the penal judges for guidance in the direction of the evidence, and if so, it should be valid in a penal court", said Dall'Anese.

In an interview on local television news Telenoticias, Dall'Anese was strong in his words against the court justices who ruled in favour of the accused. Dall'Anese said that what the justices are saying is that the Ministerio Público should conduct itself in a manner that a court would. He explained his comment saying that the Minister Público has the responsibility to collect the evidence and present the proof for the court to decide. Contrary, there would be no need for a court and the Ministerio Público would convict the accused.

The prosecutor was visibly upset, especially at the comments of the court justices who blamed the prosecutors office and the police for not providing sufficient proof and evidence collected in a poor manner and that the Mora investigation continued after the trial had begun.

Dall'Anese was emphatic that once the evidence was handed to the courts the investigation was closed.

The justices Rocío Pérez, Alejandro López and Doris Arias, said that the Ministerio Público failed in having all the lawyers present during declarations, statements that implicated Millot and several others in the crime.

Dall'Anese rejects all accusations by the justices of not doing their jobs properly and the case will be appealed by the Ministerio Público before the Sala III, the same court that Dall'Anese is being considered a candidate to fill a vacancy on the bench.