Following the Prosecutor's request after a decade-long probe, Judge Fredy Peña Ávila has fully absolved David Andrés Cangrejo Torres and 11 others in the alleged electoral corruption case at Neiva's ESE Carmen Emilia Ospina, citing insufficient evidence to overcome the presumption of innocence.
In a ruling issued last Friday, Judge Fredy Peña Ávila of the Fourth Criminal Circuit Court in Neiva granted full absolution to former ESE manager David Cangrejo Torres and 11 co-defendants, ending a ten-year legal saga that began in 2016.
The case stemmed from allegations of criminal conspiracy, extortion, and voter coercion during Rodrigo Lara Sánchez's tenure at the ESE from 2014-2015. As reported earlier this month, Prosecutor Sandra Patricia Orjuela requested absolution at the trial's conclusion, admitting the evidence— including WhatsApp chats and police reports ruled illegal in 2016—failed to rebut innocence. Several charges had prescribed due to delays, and of 23 witnesses, only nine testified meaningfully, often relying on rumors.
The defendants, arrested in May 2016 and quickly released, faced no proven coercion or abuse of position. The judge applied the 'in dubio pro reo' principle amid evidentiary gaps. No appeals are expected from prosecutors or the Attorney General's Office, lifting all measures. The acquitted parties may now pursue reparations for unjust detention.
