After almost six hours, the hearing for the imputation of charges against journalist and presenter Jorge Alfredo Vargas, held this Tuesday, August 4, took a significant turn.
The case prosecutor announced during the hearing that when she requested three of the four people mentioned in the case, they sent her a letter stating that they had decided not to participate in the trial.
Surprising turn in the Jorge Alfredo Vargas case: three of the four alleged victims “do not want to participate in the trial,” according to the Prosecutor’s Office. https://t.co/if1kX8q65f
— Revista Semana (@RevistaSemana) August 5, 2026
📹: Focus Noticias pic.twitter.com/oZ1V12KXBA
‘Under confidentiality’
“Your Honor, indeed, as you report, the Prosecutor’s Office received this morning a letter addressed primarily to the lady judge presiding over this hearing, to the prosecutors who are part of this special task force. The victims, numbering three, request that their names be kept confidential in any judicial proceeding and waive, Your Honor, basically the representation that the public defender’s office might exercise regarding their rights in this process,” explained the prosecutor during the hearing broadcast by Focus Noticias.
And she added: “Regarding the waiver of representation and their decision not to participate in this trial, the Prosecutor’s Office has no objection to these statements.”
Although the entirety of the letter was kept confidential, EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit established that it indicated it was a labor case that had been processed. Additionally, that they had not filed any complaint.
What happens next?
Vargas was present during the virtual hearing with two of his lawyers: María Paulina Riveros and Juan David Bazzani.
The case prosecutor said that the Public Defender’s Office even assigned them a court-appointed lawyer on Monday night to guarantee their representation, which will no longer be necessary. And she reiterated that besides keeping their names confidential, the letter from the three alleged victims also requests that the hearings not be public.
(Check here all the articles from EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit)
However, within the process, which continues despite the decision of the three alleged victims, there is still one complainant left.
Regarding that case, a controversy arose over whether her identity should be revealed, as her lawyer requested confidentiality and explained that her power of attorney indicated so.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
Follow us now on Facebook