The Court of First Instance in Aibonito has restricted access to and disclosure of witnesses’ personal information in the court file of Elvia Cabrera Rivera, after partially reconsidering an earlier ruling on requests from news media. Superior Judge Luis S. Barreto Altieri issued the resolution on October 1, modifying a September 18 decision. The change covers the identities of witnesses who are minors and the phone numbers and addresses of witnesses contained in exhibits and in evidence offered but not admitted; the court denied access to and disclosure of that information.
The ruling follows requests that several news outlets filed on September 15 and 17, through the Courts Administration’s Press Office, to examine and obtain copies of case file documents. On September 16 the court ordered the parties to state their position on those requests. Both the prosecution and the defense responded the next day, and on September 18 the court issued a first resolution that restricted disclosure while allowing access to certain parts of the file.
Both parties then requested reconsideration. In the new ruling, the court denied the defense’s request for access to the presentence report. The judge held that the document contains confidential information and based his decision on security reasons, also citing Rule 162.1 of Criminal Procedure on who may access the report.
The resolution states that the report includes confidential information and that granting access would be "a bad precedent." On the prosecution’s reconsideration request, the court modified its prior resolution to bar access to and disclosure of the identities of minor witnesses and of witnesses’ personal information.