Peruvian television host Magaly Medina confirmed that the Judicial Power has scheduled a new hearing in her long-running legal case with former footballer Jefferson Farfán, one that could result in her suspended prison sentence being revoked.
Medina addressed the hearing during the September 10 edition of her program, "Magaly TV La Firme." She said the hearing will examine whether she has met the conditions set after her conviction, including community service and payment of a civil reparation and a fine to the state.
What the hearing will decide
According to Medina, the proceeding will determine whether her suspended sentence should be maintained or whether there are grounds to revoke it and send her to prison. She criticized the fact that her compliance with the court-ordered conditions is once again under review.
Quoting press coverage of the matter, she noted that headlines had described the Judicial Power as scheduling a hearing to decide whether she would be sent back to prison. She said she did not understand who benefits from the public continuing to learn that the Judicial Power keeps pursuing her.
Medina accuses Farfán
The host directly accused Jefferson Farfán, the former Peruvian international known as "la Foquita," of being behind the continuation of the conflict. She said it was Farfán who kept pursuing and harassing her in the worst way, and that she did not understand what he wanted.
Medina said Farfán was seeking to convince a judge that she had not completed her community service, had not paid the civil reparation and had not paid the fine, so that a judge would have grounds to revoke her conditional suspended sentence and send her to prison.
"I would have no problem"
Asked about the possibility that the Judicial Power could rule against her, Medina said she would respect any decision as long as it was properly grounded. She said she would have no problem going back to prison if a judge decided so, provided the ruling had merit.
She maintained that she had already fulfilled all of her obligations. She said the civil reparation had been paid, the fine owed to the state had been paid, and the community service was being completed.
Medina added that Peru's National Penitentiary Institute, known as INPE, and the parish where she carries out her community service could both confirm that she had met the requirements. She said INPE had stated this repeatedly, as had the people who run the parish.
"A persecution"
Medina, a veteran Peruvian entertainment journalist widely known by her nickname "Urraca," described the ongoing legal dispute as going beyond a strictly judicial matter. She said it amounted to a persecution driven by personal vengeance and revenge, rather than a genuine legal process.
Farfán, a former forward who played for clubs including PSV Eindhoven and Schalke 04 and represented the Peru national team, has been engaged in a legal dispute with Medina linked to her earlier conviction and suspended sentence. The case stems from that conviction, under which Medina was ordered to pay a civil reparation and a fine and to perform community service.
The Judicial Power's hearing will determine whether Medina's suspended sentence remains in place or is revoked.
