Through a brief statement, the NY judge in the case against infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán informed he has decided to delay the preliminary hearing originally scheduled for January 15, to February 19.
Next January 19 will mark a year since the extradition of Joaquín Guzmán to the United States and the hearing was petitioned by Guzman's defense attorney, Angel Balarezo, to request more time to prepare for the trial.
Balerazo, during a recent conversation with EL UNIVERSAL , explained he is pushing for the trial to be moved to August or September 2018 so there can be enough time to analyze the thousands of case files and all the evidence avaliable.
The prosecutor's office hasn't objected to the trial's delay, therefore, the final decision lies in the hands of NY Judge Brian Cogan.
In addition, the prosecutor's office requested last weekend that the members of the jury remain “anonymous and partially isolated” for the trial. These measures which seek to ensure their neutrality and avoid possible “threats, intimidation, or another kind of interference,” so members of the jury are able to freely cast their opinion. The prosecutor's office added Guzmán Loera has a “record of interfering in legal proceedings” which justifies the extraordinary measures for the protection of the individuals to be members of the jury.
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