The City Police inspector Matías Ríos complicated the judicial situation of Facundo Moyano by reaffirming before the Justice the account he had recorded during the early hours of August 4, when he was one of the first officers to come into contact with Candela Arizaga.
Ríos testified this Tuesday before prosecutor Florencia Nocerez and confirmed under oath the content of the police report that initiated the investigation against the union leader, currently charged with minor injuries and illegal deprivation of liberty.
According to that document, the police officer had been dispatched following a 911 call and, while heading to the location, found a woman running in the area of Avenida del Libertador and La Pampa, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Belgrano.
According to the account recorded by the inspector, Arizaga was asking for help and stated that she had been beaten by her partner and that Moyano had kept her in his apartment against her will. The young woman also explained that she took the opportunity to leave the premises and seek help.
The importance of the statement lies in the fact that Ríos now maintained before the prosecutor exactly the version he had recorded immediately after the incident, when the public repercussions of the case had not yet begun. Sources with access to the case indicated that the officer fully reaffirmed what was written that early morning.
The testimony contrasts with Arizaga's later statements. In her first presentation before the prosecutor, the young woman claimed that she had not suffered physical or verbal violence, denied that Moyano had prevented her from leaving the apartment, and stated that she did not remember telling the police that she had been beaten or deprived of her liberty. This Tuesday, in addition, her lawyer requested that she be allowed to expand her testimonial statement.
For his part, Moyano has denied the accusations from the beginning. During the hearing, he stated that his relationship with Arizaga was romantic and maintained that there had never been any physical or verbal aggression or impediments for her to enter or leave his home.
The case continues in the investigation stage, and during August various witnesses were summoned, including police officers who intervened during the first hours following the incident. Ríos' reaffirmation thus incorporates a relevant element to determine what happened that early morning and clarify the contradictions between the different accounts in the case.
