The ruling by Judge
The judge in
Lawyers for the four executives, meanwhile, said their clients have cooperated with investigators and had no intention of leaving the country.
The investigation is still in the preliminary stage but could lead to indictments for environmental pollution, a crime punishable by no fewer than four years in prison.
In handing down his ruling, the judge said the travel ban is "strictly proportional ... to society's interest in finding out the truth."
Prosecutors sought the ban as part of their probe into an incident in which some 6,000 barrels of crude were spilled into the ocean off the coast of the port city of Callao, at a spot around 30 kilometers (around 18 miles) north of
The spill occurred on
It has affected more than 20 beaches, three natural reserves and 713 hectares (2.75 square miles) of ocean and wreaked economic havoc on fishing communities.
The spill has been called the worst ecological disaster in the
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