Acuña was charged on October 10, 2023 with a bribery offense classified as co-author and was subject to precautionary measures such as identification of address, impossibility of leaving the country and retention of travel documents.
After an agreement between his defense and the prosecution, he was sentenced by the judiciary to 18 months in prison, which he must complete with probation and eight months of community service. In addition, the payment of a fine of 50 UR, approximately 85,860 pesos, was determined.
At the end of the hearing, Frente Amplio Senator Mario Bergara agreed with the verdict, but explained that the investigation could not clarify who ordered the espionage.
“We see the conviction as something positive,” he said. “The judicial institutions in Uruguay are acting, they are up to the task, everyone knows that there are times when you are more satisfied and other times when you are less satisfied, but the institutions work,” he added.
“In this process, it is not possible to determine who the original client is, that is, who is the one who really ends up asking, paying and trying to intimidate us into withdrawing this complaint,” Bergara said in reference to the Complaint by the agreement between the Uruguayan government and the multinational Kateon Natie for the extension of the concession of the container terminal of the port of Montevideo until 2081.
“It is important for us to confirm that these crimes occurred,” he noted.
Acuña’s lawyer Miguel Fossati considered that the agreement reached with the prosecution reflected his client’s statements from the beginning of the trial.
