Julio Herrera Velutini Gráfica Venezuela Al Día
The federal prosecutor requested the Federal Court to acknowledge the presidential pardon granted to Julio Herrera Velutini and require the defendants to certify whether they formally accept the pardon, a crucial step for the court to proceed with the case dismissal. This information was reported by El Nuevo Día.
In a notification submitted this Monday, the Public Ministry explained that, according to applicable doctrine, once a presidential pardon is accepted, the court must give it immediate effect and lacks the authority to continue the criminal proceedings. Therefore, before dismissing the charges and closing the file, the prosecutor requested that the parties file a document with the court confirming their acceptance of the pardon.
Julio Herrera Velutini buys a license of impunity in the US
The request applies not only to Herrera Velutini but also to former governor Wanda Vázquez Garced and financial advisor Mark Rossini, who are listed as co-defendants in the case. According to the Public Ministry, each one must individually present their acceptance certification and do so in all related processes where they have declared guilty due to agreements with the prosecutor.
The presidential pardon was granted on January 15 by Donald Trump, but its mere issuance is not enough to automatically close the cases. From a procedural standpoint, express acceptance by the beneficiaries is a prerequisite for the court to be barred from continuing the matter.
In the specific case of Herrera Velutini, the prosecutor recalled that the original accusation positioned him as a central figure in the political financing scheme being investigated. According to the charges, the banker allegedly supported Vázquez Garced’s campaign during the 2020 primaries along with Rossini, through donations and a public opinion poll valued at around 500,000 dollars, in exchange for the dismissal of the then head of the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, George Joyner.
Even though the presidential pardon has already been granted, the judicial process technically remains open until the defendants confirm their acceptance. Only then can the Federal Court proceed to dismiss the charges and definitively close the case, formally recording that the pardon has entered into full legal operation.