Selgado’s Attorney: “He Should Be Released Immediately”

Attorney Oscar Selgado is expected to be home for Christmas following the Court of Appeal’s decision to quash his conviction.

Speaking to reporters shortly after the ruling, lead attorney Arthur Saldivar said Selgado should not spend another night behind bars. “He should be released immediately. There is no basis upon which the prison can legitimately hold him.”

His attorneys stressed that the appeal was about more than Selgado’s release. Co-counsel Michelle Trapp described the appeal as a fight to restore fairness. “If that kind of injustice could happen to a colleague, an attorney at law, my God, what could happen to a regular citizen who has no knowledge of the law?” she said. “This case for us was about correcting an injustice.”

Those concerns were reflected in the Court of Appeal’s reasoning, which focused heavily on Selgado’s inability to confront his accuser. Saldivar explained, “The fatal flaw in the prosecution’s case was the fact that they were utilising the element of fear to justify Ramirez not coming to trial. But at no point did they ever suggest to him that he could have appeared virtually… They deprived the accused of facing his accuser.”

The legal team also raised concerns about how crucial recordings went missing from multiple institutions. “You are talking about the DPP’s office. That’s one. The police department, that’s two. The Registry, that’s three. The magistrate, that’s four,” Saldivar said. “Four different departments and none of them have this audio file.”

He described the situation as “a blatant undermining of the justice system,” adding that Selgado “spent an entire year plus behind bars.”

For now, Selgado’s attorneys said the immediate focus is on his release and reuniting with his family. They confirmed that no decision has been made on whether Selgado will pursue legal action, though all options remain open.

With a release order pending, Saldivar expressed confidence Selgado would walk free before day’s end. “I don’t know that the prison wants to be hit with false imprisonment at this point,” he said.

News 5 has reached out to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl Lynn Vidal, for comment.