After paying bail of 200,000 pesos, the retired policemen and the priests accused of the disappearance of the minor Ricardo Harex in 2001 in Punta Arenas, were released. All are accused of the crime of covering up the young man.
The Court of Appeals of Punta Arenas confirmed the release on bail of the defendants as accessories for the crime of child abduction Ricardo Alexis Harex Gonzálezin October 2001. This case is known as the “Harex Case”.
According to what was published this Saturday by the Power of attorneythe freedom of retired Carabineros officers was confirmed Hernan Octavio Bravo Aris, Hector Eliazar Peña Monsalvez, Maxim Enzo Sanchez Marquez and Anwar Kharufeh Jaduein addition to the Salesian priests Leonardo Wenceslao Martinez and Vincenzo Soccorso di Bono.
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the defendants were in preventive detention at their homes under the custody of Carabineros, however, following payment of 200,000 pesos each, were released.
According to the Judiciary, during the investigation stage of the case, the visiting minister, Marta Jimena Pino, gathered sufficient information to allow “Founded presumptions of participation in the acts constituting the crime of abduction of the person of the minor Ricardo Alexis Harex González, 17 years of ageas accessories, the zone chief and Carabineros General Hernán Octavio Bravo Aris, the sub-prefect Héctor Eliazar Peña Monsálvez, the captain Máximo Enzo Sánchez Márquez and the chief of the third shift on October 19, 2001 at the First Police Station of Punta Arenas, Lieutenant Anwar Kharaufeh Jadue, all Carabineros de Chile officials in that year, State agents and with command responsibility.”
The presumed participation of the aforementioned Salesian priests is also justified at this stage.
Harex case: the disappearance of Ricardo
The facts regarding the case of the disappearance of Ricardo Harex date back to the night of October 19, 2001, when the young man left his house, on Andrés Stambuck street, to go to a barbecue area where a group of friends were waiting for him, with the intention of celebrating a birthday.
According to information compiled by the BioBioChile Research Unit, Ricardo sat by a grill, played cards, chatted and drank alcohol.
At 03:00 a.m., he asked to be taken to buy groceries, however, no one dared to accompany him, so he went alone to an Esso on the way home.
He arrived at the venue, requested a drink promotion with a complete, ate, left the premises and following that all trace of the young man was lost.
