Wife Die (Longer)

March 3, 2022 audiencia court audio — Lever is caught out apparently comprehending Spanish and then backpedals furiously.

The interpreter: "So you speak Spanish..."
Lever: I can speak...say gracias... I can order beer".

I can order beer

March 3, 2022 audiencia —  Lever mixes his metaphors (switching horses mid stream) in an attempt to throw up obstacles to the judicial process. His lawyer is often absent, but he doesn't want to use another one. But the law is quite a lot clear...

Switching Horses

March 3 audiencia, 2022: Judge orders Lever (in English) to provide a medical document explaining why he could not attend the next session on April 1.

Talk with your doctor...

March 3, 2022: In this the 19th in the series of audiencias, Lever states that he has only missed two of the previous.

Factcheck:  At this stage Lever had missed SIX audiencias. 
13/12/19. "Explosive diarrhea"
16/4/20   No show, no excuse
11/6/20.   No show, no excuse
9/9/20    Suspected covid
25/3/21.  Lever had tested positive for covid
18/1/22   No show, no excuse

Meanwhile his lawyer Claudia Paniagua has been abset from TWELVE out of the 21 scheduled audiencias. More than half of the total. 

Twice she has sent her colleague Lusmila Barientos Barrera who on BOTH occasions said it would be her first and only appearance, so she had to be lying on one of these occasions. 

Note that Lever claims to have had an ex parte discussion with the judge warning her in advance of his absence in January. This conversation was held behind closed doors and has left no paper-trail, and so was clearly illegal if it ever occurred and a violation of the victim's rights. 

The judge made no effort to translate Lever's words back into Spanish.

Each time he failed to show up and failed to lodge an excuse he should have been immediately deprived of some of the defence privileges he has used to force postponements.

Not showing up

March 3, 2022: Judge orders Lever and his lawyer to have covid tests within 24 hours or she would be removed from the case.

Byebye

March 3, 2022: Lever states in court that he had Omicron in February 2022. This follows an earlier positive test in March 2021. He has also used suspected covid twice as an excuse in court to force a delay. His vaccination status should be checked.

Covidiano

March 3, 2022: Our lawyer declares to the judge that the stratagems  employed by Lever and his lawyer have cost the Guatemala judicial system a significant amount of time and money.

Money

Lever again explains that he had Omicron in February and so he cannot get covid again, for now. He reveals that he has been travelling outside Guatemala since the audiencia in January that he missed without presenting an excuse (at least not one that was shared with his victim's legal team).

elcadejo