Marcos Fletes

Marcos Fletes Casco: unjustly sentenced to 13 years in prison

Marcos Fletes Casco, 42 years old, is the youngest of several siblings. Since he was a child, he was loved by his family and friends, very independent and professionally oriented. He is the father of a 15-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter.

Marcos worked as General Accountant at the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation (FVBCH) until February 2021, when it suspended activities due to the entry into force of the Foreign Agents Regulation Law.

On May 20, 2021, Marcos was summoned along with other members of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation team to appear before the Ministry of the Interior, to respond for alleged inconsistencies found in the financial reports submitted.

They appeared that same day, and immediately thereafter received summons to appear before the Public Prosecutor’s Office on May 21, to respond to an investigation against them for the alleged crime of Money, Property and Asset Laundering.

On May 28, in the afternoon, Marcos was violently detained by armed civilians acting in collusion with the police, who held him at gunpoint.

They then loaded him into a dark blue minibus where he was taken to an unknown location. Since then, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned the arrest, which proceeded without a warrant and without explanation of the motives, and stated that it occurred in the context of the intensification of the persecution of the opposition and the electoral process in Nicaragua.

For its part, even before the members of the Foundation’s team were detained, the U.S. State Department rejected the accusations of alleged “money laundering” against the FVBCH, based on the audits carried out to said organization as part of the regular supervision of the funds provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

During the first ninety days that Marcos was detained, no visits were authorized. In the process against him, there were repeated violations of due process guarantees such as the presumption of innocence and the right to be assisted by a lawyer. The trial hearing concluded on March 11, 2022, with a sentence of 13 years imprisonment handed down by Judge Luden Quiróz.

The trial took place behind closed doors, without access to the press, with most of the witnesses being police officers and in a prison of the Judicial Assistance Directorate of the National Police. The prosecution did not present evidence to prove the crime, however, Marcos was convicted.

Marcos suffers from diabetes. This condition requires periodic examinations and timely and quality medical attention. Because the State failed to comply with the Precautionary Measures granted on June 24, 2021, the Inter-American Court granted Provisional Measures on November 4, 2021. The Court required the State to proceed with the immediate release of Marcos and has asked it to immediately adopt the necessary measures to effectively protect his life, integrity and liberty; however, to date, the State remains in contempt of court.

Marcos Fletes is being held in a prison of the Dirección de Auxilio Judicial Nacional, convicted of a crime he did not commit.

Freedom for Marcos Fletes! 

We demand to the Ortega-Murillo regime: Free Nicas Now!