The Nicaraguan authorities have formally requested the capture of Juan Darthés, the Argentine-Brazilian actor who has been accused of rape by his former colleague and fellow actor Thelma Fardín, issuing an international arrest warrant.
The judge who is leading the case, Celso Urbina, "has already issued an arrest warrant for Juan Darthés, following a request from the Public Prosecutor's Office," Fardín's legal representative Eilyn Cruz confirmed to the AFP news agency. He was formally accused of the crime on 16.
In the petition, which was issued on Friday, the judge ordered the Nicaraguan police service to make the request "through the International Police (Interpol)" and send it to Brazil, where the actor is currently residing, Cruz confirmed. Fardín has already been informed of the development, the lawyer added.
Just last week, Darthés' laywer, César Guevara, told the courts that the actor "explicitly wishes to express his willingness to collaborate with Nicaraguan justice," in a note filed before the courts. He also requested that an international warrant not be issued, arguing that he was cooperating fully with the authorities.
At an explosive press conference in December last year, Fardín – who worked with the actor on shows and tours related to the TV show Patito Feo (“Ugly Duckling) – accused Darthés of raping her in May 2009 in Managua, Nicaragua. A few days earlier, she had formally denounced the alleged crime before the Nicaraguan authorities, providing evidence and undergoing forensic exams.
Fardín was 16 at the time of the alleged attack. Darthés, whose real name is Juan Pacífico Dabul, was 45.
According to Fardín's complaint, the actor took advantage of his workplace bond and "age difference" to sexually assault her. After analyzing her testimony and available evidence, Nicaraguan prosecutors formally accused Darthés for the crime of aggravated rape and requested an international arrest warrant, be issued for his arrest which has not yet been issued by the judge in charge of the case.
Darthés, in his own note to the courts, accused Fardín of having a "manipulative personality."
Nicaraguan law states that the trial can only be carried out with the presence of the accused. Darthés, who moved from Argentina to Brazil in the wake of the scandal, has not indicated whether he will travel to Nicaragua to respond to the accusations.
Brazil and Nicaragua don’t have an extradition agreement, which would facilitate and compel Brazilian law enforcement to hand over Darthés. Therefore, Interpol, the international police organisation, must intervene.
– TIMES/AFP
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