The trial for 73-year-old Italian citizen Paolo Pravisani charged in Colombia with solicitation of prostitution, child pornography, possession of narcotics, and sexual intercourse with a minor, has been postponed for the sixth time, El Heraldo reported Thursday.
According to a judge in Cartagena, where Pravisani was arrested in March of 2009, the absence of a key witness who supposedly provided Pravisani with underage prostitutes is the reason for the most recent delay.
Pravisani, who was arrested after a 14-year-old boy died in his apartment on February 23, 2009 of a cocaine overdose, was arrested after a police investigation turned up numerous pornographic photos involving minors.
Commenting on the most recent delay, a lawyer for family members of the deceased minor complained that the whole process is “becoming a circus,” and that the defense is abusing the legal system to prolong the process and avoid justice.
For the last year, Pravisani’s lawyers have effectively kept the trial from starting for medical reasons.
According to Cristian Ayola, a psychiatrist and medical director at a clinic where Pravisani has been hospitalized for 26 months, claims that her patient is not able to attend a trial because he is at risk of an aneurysm.