Corrientes Court rejects removal of judge in Loan Peña case

The Federal Oral Court of Corrientes has rejected a request to remove Judge Fermín Amado Ceroleni from presiding over the trial regarding the disappearance and concealment of five-year-old Loan Danilo Peña.

The recusal was filed by public defender Enzo Di Tella, who represents Bernardino Antonio Benítez, one of the seven defendants. Di Tella argued there was a “founded fear of partiality” due to repeated interruptions during interrogations and inconsistent rulings on objections.

In a five-page resolution, judges Eduardo Belforte and Simón Bracco dismissed the claims, stating there was no evidence of “hostility or animosity toward any of the parties, nor preferential treatment favoring any of them.” The court characterized the defense's arguments as mere disagreement with the presiding judge's management of the debate, noting that the defense had not timely used procedural tools to challenge the decisions during the proceedings.