Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

colaborador eficaz

English translation:

cooperating witness / immunized witness (no criminal liability in return for cooperation as witness)

Added to glossary by María Teresa Taylor Oliver
Nov 8, 2017 20:43
6 yrs ago
30 viewers *
Spanish term

colaborador eficaz

Spanish to English Law/Patents Law (general)
I'm translating a Panamanian newspaper article on the Odebrecht bribery case (the so-called "Lava Jato" corruption scandal that has shaken Brazil and the rest of Latin America.)

Is "colaborador eficaz" another way of saying "testigo criteriado"? For the latter, I have the following translations:
--a witness testifying under a plea-bargain agreement
--a witness who turns state's evidence
--a witness under a plea agreement

Further down in the article it says "colaboradores" are "testigos de cargo o acordantes," so yes, a "witness for the prosecution." But that definition seems too broad for me, as not all witnesses have entered plea agreements...

I have translated it as "cooperating witness" for now, but want to make sure there is a specific term for this. I also found "whistleblower" is sometimes used, but that's a very specific type of witness, I'd say.

Here's the context:
=================================

El funcionario [one of the prosecutors in charge of the case] agregó que en este caso "el juez tiene la facultad de interrogar a los colaboradores eficaces", y "pese a los acuerdos, el proceso continúa en sus trámites normal".

En este sentido, Vásquez recordó en Telemetro que "la figura de los acuerdos viene desde el 2011" y al final "se va a saber lo que ha pasado". "El pueblo quiere saber lo que ha pasado y se va a saber", acotó.

Explicó, además, que la audiencia debe ser rápida, pero no se puede precisar por el tema tecnológico y de cuáles son las pruebas que va a presentar la Fiscalía.

En el acuerdo de homologación el colaborador es un testigo de cargo o acordante y ayuda a la recuperación de activos, ha informado la autoridad judicial.

"Dentro de la estructura del acuerdo, el fiscal puede establecer cómo se hará el acuerdo de colaboración eficaz", añadió Vásquez. Y los acuerdos de colaboración y homologación, no ponen fin a la investigación.
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Thanks in advance!

Proposed translations

+1
10 mins
Selected

Immunized witness (no criminal liability in return for collaboration as witness)

También Informant pero es muy general o coloquialmente "Snitch" o "Stool pigeon."
Note from asker:
Thanks, David. I'd also found "informant," but like "whistleblower" it also sounds too colloquial... I do know about CIs (confidential informants), though. But that's not the case here.
Peer comment(s):

agree AllegroTrans : yes, but I would say "cooperation as a witness"; collaboration sounds like cooking the books
5 mins
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Many thanks, David! I came across this old question (which, in hindsight, I should've also searched for "colaboración" as well as "colaborador" before I posted a question) that could substantiate my guess of "cooperating witness": https://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish_to_english/law_patents/352021-acordar_beneficios_por_colaboraci%C3%B3n_eficaz.html"
2 hrs

state's witness

Netanyahu's former aide turns state's witness in bribery cases - Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-netanyahu-idUSKBN1...
Aug 4, 2017 - The decision by Ari Harow to turn state's witness as part of a plea bargain in his own, separate corruption case adds a new dimension to a ...
Corrupt Exchanges: Actors, Resources, and Mechanisms of Political ...
https://books.google.com.ar/books?isbn=0202365190
Donatella Della Porta, ‎Alberto Vannucci - 1999 - ‎Political Science
... criminal prosecution against Andreotti, the investigations of the Palermo public prosecutor's office, aided by the numerous mafiosi who turned state's witness, ...
Turn States Evidence Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc.
https://definitions.uslegal.com/t/turn-states-evidence/
To turn state's evidence is when an accused or convicted criminal testifies as a witness for the state against his associates or accomplices in return for lenient ..
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