(CNN Spanish) — The general director of Human Development of the National Secretariat of Returnees from ParaguayGuillermo Osorio, informed in an interview with the ABC Cardinal radio station that the autopsy of the body of anti-drug prosecutor Marcelo Pecci is already finished, and that “the funeral home that is going to provide the service, estimates that by Friday it would have the body ready.”
Osorio added that the Paraguayan State will cover the cost of the service for the repatriation of the body of the prosecutor, who was murdered while on his honeymoon in Colombia with his wife, Claudia Aguilera. The homicide was reported this Tuesday by the Colombian National Police.
The official also said that they are coordinating the change of passage for Pecci’s widow so that she can return as soon as possible.
Paraguay’s consul in Colombia, Romy Romero, told CNN that Pecci’s widow is flying back to the country on an Air Force plane that is used as a presidential plane.
It is the same plane that transported Paraguayan police and prosecutors to Colombia, and which also takes back Claudia Aguilera, sister of Pecci’s widow, in addition to Paraguayan prosecutors Alicia Sapriza and Manuel Doldan and two Colombian members of the Criminal Investigation Department. and Interpol of the National Police of that country. These two researchers arrive in Paraguay to collaborate with these investigations.
According to the diplomatic representative, Pecci’s body would be ready for transfer this Thursday followingnoon or evening, following the funeral processes and corresponding paperwork.
The consul added that, in the fastest case, taking into account the pending procedures, she might leave Cartagena via Panama this Friday followingnoon, with an estimated arrival in Asunción for Saturday morning.
Investigations continue following Pecci’s murder
The Paraguayan Prosecutor’s Office reported in a statement this Thursday that a team of prosecutors and police officers is working with their peers in Colombia to clarify the crime. He added that working mechanisms have been activated with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other US agencies.
The general director of the Colombian National Police, General Jorge Luis Vargas, indicated that they are investigating the cases of the assassinated prosecutor in search of possible perpetrators, according to statements made to the radio station La FM replicated on the institution’s Twitter account.
“The prosecutor Marcelo Pecci was handling cases of radical international terrorism, drug trafficking, issues related to the Triple Frontier. He took several people to jail. The assassination was an organized crime plan,” Vargas said, according to the Police.
“Within the information that has been collected there are several names of people whom the prosecutor took to jail or extradited, including a member of Hezbollah. We continue to analyze several names,” he added.
The Paraguayan embassy in Colombia confirmed that they were unaware of Pecci’s trip, so a security guard was not assigned to him.
Paraguayan Interior Minister Federico Gonzalez had commented Tuesday to CNN that Pecci had not sought protection from either the Paraguayan or Colombian governments for being treated for a private trip.
