Prosecutors from the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (Feci) did not ratify a complaint against five judges of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) due to a report from the Public Ministry (MP) indicating that the fiscal agents could be in danger of reaching the Congress facilities. .
The Feci had to ratify the complaint against the five titular magistrates, Blanca Alfaro, Irma Palencia, Mynor Franco, Gabriel Aguilera and Rafael Rojas for a complaint made by the National Unit of Hope (UNE) for alleged fraud in the general elections in 2023 .
The UNE was also summoned to ratify the complaint, but did not appear before the Investigative Commission that is hearing the pretrial against the five titular magistrates of the TSE.
In a circular dated May 6, 2024, it was reported that the Feci sent the communication to deputy Luis Antonio Cáceres, president of the Investigative Commission.
The letter signed by prosecutor Leonor Morales Lazo argues for the non-appearance of Feci personnel to the summons made on April 29 just past and received the following day.
The summons, according to the official letter, was for the purpose of exposing the facts that give rise to the pre-trial proceedings against the TSE magistrates.
According to the Feci, “on the occasion of the summons made, a risk analysis was carried out by the Security Department of the Public Ministry, in which the risk to the life and physical integrity of the members of this Prosecutor’s Office was evaluated, to attend to the aforementioned summons.”
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He added: “in the report it is recommended that both the section head of this Prosecutor’s Office, Mr. José Rafael Curruchiche Cucul, and myself, tax agent Leonor Eugenia Morales Lazo in charge of Agency Nine of the Prosecutor’s Office, not be present at the meeting. Special Against Impunity, since our security and physical integrity may be in danger given the recent events in which our work has been attempted to be hindered by shock forces that, to date, are once again organizing themselves in order to prevent “The investigations that I am in charge of advance as required by law.”
He stressed that due to the short time frame between the date on which the summons was communicated to them and the moment in which they would have to appear, in addition to the time it took to prepare the aforementioned Risk Analysis Report, “it was not possible make the coordination so that a different official is appointed and attends to such an important summons, this also due to activities already scheduled according to their agendas.”
The Feci requested that the summons be rescheduled and a reasonable amount of time be granted, since it is necessary to make the respective coordinations and designate the representative of the Public Ministry so that “the attention that said summons deserves can be given,” appearing for it.
Then, the Commission determined that they will request a legal report from Congress to determine whether or not they should continue to hear about the pretrial, since they doubt whether the issue loses substance because the pretrial was not ratified by the MP.
It was reported that until they know the report, next Monday, May 13, they will decide whether or not to summon the MP again to ratify the complaint, as well as the UNE.
Feci prosecutors do not ratify a complaint against the TSE magistrates due to a report from the @MPguatemala which indicates that the tax agents could be in danger of reaching the facilities of the @CongresoGuate. Rescheduling is being analyzed. @free Press@Guatevision_tv pic.twitter.com/mIxHRCOlQm
— Douglas Cuevas (@dcuevas_gtv) May 6, 2024
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