The stolen EMTRASUR plane. Photo: OT Archive.
Argentinian authorities lifted the order prohibiting two of the crew members of the EMTRASUR plane hijacked in Argentina from leaving the country.
Judge Federico Villena of the Federal Criminal and Correctional Court of Lomas de Zamora 1 approved the decision to lift the order prohibiting José García Contreras and Mohammad Khosraviaragh from leaving Argentina.
With these two, there are now 14 crew members of the Venezuelan plane hijacked in Argentina who have been acquitted of all charges. The legal cases that were opened against them, which implicated them in alleged links to espionage or international terrorism, have been dismissed.
However, there are still five crew members of the 19 who were initially held, together with the Venezuelan plane itself, in Argentina, among them both Iranian and Venezuelan nationals.
According to the judge’s ruling, the measure was taken because “he is obliged to resolve the procedural situation of those named, in accordance with the provisions of Chamber III of the Hon. Federal Chamber of La Plata by the resolution dated September 13. [The court] will have a period of 10 days for this process.”
1/4 El juez Federico Villena del Juzgado Federal Criminal y Correccional de Lomas de Zamora 1, ratifica la decisión de Levantar la Medida de Prohibición de Salida del País en contra de José GARCIA CONTRERAS y Mohammad KHOSRAVIARAGH, 2 de los tripulantes del avión de #EMTRASUR pic.twitter.com/xG3AKLFDeB
— Embajada de Venezuela en Argentina (@EmbaVEArgentina) September 28, 2022
It is worth recalling that on September 13, the Federal Court of Appeals of La Plata in Argentina authorized, after more than three months of detention in the country, the departure from that country of 12 of the 19 crew members of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane.
The ruling ordered Judge Villena to speed up and conclude “all pending proceedings, the definition of the procedural situation and the restrictions imposed on people and things.”
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The 12 crew members arrived in the country on September 16 at the Maiquetía International Airport, where they were received by various Venezuelan authorities.
The announcement from the Argentinian court comes after the Venezuelan authorities fought for the release of the plane and the crew of the Aerocargo del Sur Transport Company (EMTRASUR).
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/EF/SL
