Nicaragua’s prosecutor general requested Monday that a Colombian man guilty of spying on the Central American country be sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison.
“That Mr. Luis Felipe Rios Castaño is declared guilty and with a sentence of up to 17 and a half years for the crimes of intrusion and revelation of state secrets,” said prosecutor Manuel Reyes before a Managua judge and a silent defendant.
Luis Felipe Rios Castaño, a 34-year-old Colombian national, was arrested in Nicaragua’s capital Managua in mid-June after having been followed by the country’s authorities for over a year.
In closed-door proceedings later that month, Rios plead guilty to espionage and disclosure of state secrets.
The alleged spy arrived in Nicaragua in 2010, apparently presenting himself as a Spanish citizen working for Edefa, a Spanish publication that specializes in security and aviation issues.
Rios’ final sentencing is set for the following Thursday.
