The Angels.- The Light of the World Church described as an “anticipated sentence” the bail of 90 million dollars imposed on his spiritual leader, Naasón Joaquín García, who faces 36 accusations related to sexual abuse in a Los Angeles court. .
“By denying reasonable bail to Apostle Naasón Joaquín García, they are converting his constitutional right to bail into an anticipated sentence,” the Church said in a statement distributed late Thursday and dated in Los Angeles.
Judge George Lomelí, of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, assigned a bond of 90 million dollars on Thursday to release Joaquín García on parole, in the new case he faces along with his two alleged accomplices -Alondra Ocampo and Susana Medina Oaxaca-, for the 36 new charges filed by the California Prosecutor’s Office last week.
State Attorney Xavier Becerra’s office had to re-file the accusation after the California Second District Court of Appeals dismissed the criminal proceeding against the religious leader for a technical ruling last April and from which his lawyers awaited his release, factoring in the coronavirus pandemic.
For three consecutive days the judge heard statements from several involved in the case to give his decision. When setting bail, Lomelí warned that the leadership in Joaquín García’s church “represents a real danger to others” and highlighted the fact that part of the victims are minors.
The Church criticized the fact that it was precisely Lomelí, the judge appointed to impose bail in the new case.
“We want to highlight that on this occasion the judge who was assigned to address the bail is the same judge who refused to dismiss the case, despite receiving a motion that shows that he deserved the dismissal due to the numerous constitutional violations that occurred”, notes the note, which qualified the magistrate’s decision as an error.
“Again he erred in setting the highest bond ever imposed in Los Angeles, California. We firmly believe that the Apostle’s rights continue to be violated,” the statement added.
Joaquín García has been detained since June 3, 2019, when he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport. In the first case, the initial bond was set at $ 50 million.
Judge Lomelí assigned Ocampo, 37, a bond of $ 10 million. In the first case, the woman was imposed a 25 million dollar bill.
While Medina Oaxaca, 25, remains on probation and his bail has been transferred to the new case.
The Prosecutor’s Office clarified that the charges against a fourth defendant, Azalea Rangel Meléndez, who is facing a search and arrest warrant, have not changed from the previous lawsuit.
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