A HEARING  into a criminal case involving  a company which received major contracts from the Ricardo Martinelli administration, and then blocked the offices of La Prensa to protest a news story was held on Tuesday, July 29.

The case  is against five employees of the construction company Transcaribe Trading (TCT) who are accused of preventing the circulation of La Prensa and Mi Diario newspapers on Aug. 2 and 3, 2012.

The hearing was held in the Second Municipal Court before Judge Leslie Loaiza.

Lawyers Jair Urriola and Abilio Batista, representing La Prensa and Mi Diario respectively, both asked for the defendants to be called to trial. Lawyers for the defendants asked for the charges to be archived. 

The judge now has 30 days to make a decision. Judge Loaiza had previously dismissed the charges, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

Last March, Criminal Court Judge Alexis Ballesteros alleged that he was pressured by his superiors to decide in favor of TCT, a major contractor of the state during the government of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014).