In October 2021, an incident at the Atrio de Cáceres restaurant led to accusations that two individuals attempted to steal a large selection of wine bottles. When the trial began this Monday at the Cáceres County Court, Constantin Dumitru and Priscila Lara Guevara, who had been relocated from the capital’s prison since the previous summer, chose not to respond to questions from the prosecutor and the special prosecutor’s office.
Priscila’s counsel, Sylvia Córdoba, opted for a different approach, while Constantin Dumitru indicated a willingness to answer questions posed by his defense attorney. He did not request questions for the defendants, and the session concluded shortly after a brief appearance, marking a quick turn in the proceedings.
The hearing, convened at 9:48 a.m. at the Cáceres State Court, was adjourned at 10:30 a.m. to await the first witnesses who would present their statements. The defendants are charged with stealing 45 wine bottles, a value estimated at 1.6 million euros according to the restaurant’s menu.
Among the witnesses are Cáceres restaurant workers, police officers, and Atrio owners José Polo and Toño Pérez. One witness is currently in Brazil, and Toño Pérez could not attend the hearing due to an international gastronomic event taking place outside Cáceres.
Plans call for José Polo and the remaining witnesses to appear from the second day of the trial. On Wednesday, March 1, four experts cited in the case will testify, a development that has drawn considerable national media attention and attracted some international press coverage.
The court, presided over by Judge Joaquín González Casso, will hear the testimonies from witnesses and experts before the defendants present their final remarks after all summoned individuals have spoken.
Prosecutor Carmen Barquilla is seeking four years and six months of imprisonment for both defendants, who are accused as co-authors of a forced robbery in a public establishment, a crime considered particularly serious given the high value of the stolen goods.
The special prosecutor was represented by lawyer Rafael Montes. The insurance company Reale reached an agreement with Atrio and paid approximately 800,000 euros in compensation; the case involved a request for reimbursement of funds and the return of the bottles.
The defendants include a 48-year-old man with Romanian and Dutch nationality and a 29-year-old woman with Mexican nationality. They were detained while attempting to enter the country by car at the Croatian border in July 2022. A few days later, they were transferred to Spain to testify before the judge, who ordered their detention without bail in Cáceres prison, where they have remained since.