Global Courant
The attorney general and head of the Public Ministry (MP), María Consuelo Porras Argueta, reported on June 16 that they are considering requesting that the immunity of the magistrates of the Fifth Chamber of Appeals be withdrawn, who a week ago protected the Prosperity party Citizen (PC), so that candidates from 11 districts could participate in the General Elections in Guatemala, next June 25.
Last May 26, the Constitutional Court (CC) unanimously rejected the appeals that sought to validate the candidacy of Carlos Pineda and the rest of the PC party candidates.
The constitutional plenary resolved in an extraordinary session to declare two appeals inadmissible, which would leave out more than 1,200 candidates from the party organization in the next general elections on Sunday, June 25.
The Fifth Chamber of Administrative Litigation, on June 9, provisionally protected the PC party and allowed the participation of candidates for deputies from 11 districts, added to candidates for mayors.
The CC reported on Sunday, June 11, that it revoked the protection granted by the Fifth Chamber to the Prosperidad Ciudadana party, so that its candidates would continue out of the 2023 electoral contest.
In addition, the CC certified what led to the MP against the magistrates who had granted the amparo in favor of PC.
Porras was consulted this June 16 about that request made by the CC to investigate the magistrates of the Fifth Chamber and said that the proceedings are being carried out and that they will have a prudential time for the fiscal decision in relation to this investigation that it is taking place.
He confirmed that the case is in the Prosecutor’s Office for electoral crimes and that the certification of the conduct against members of the room is in the Prosecutor’s Office for administrative crimes.
Porras expressed that it is very premature to indicate where the lines of investigation are going, but that in a reasonable time the MP will have the precision of where the possibility of a possible illegal act is being generated and against a possible person responsible for it.
According to the prosecutor, all the procedures have been carried out in accordance with the institutional protocols they have for each crime and that is how the investigations are being carried out.
Finally, he confirmed that requesting the withdrawal of immunity for the magistrates of that room is being analyzed.
electoral crimes
On another topic, Porras said that since the call for the 2023 General Elections, they have received 130 complaints of electoral crimes.
He pointed out that the investigations of the complaints that have been filed are advanced and they hope to have the tax decision that they will take in each particular case as soon as possible.
When asked about the crime or crimes that have been reported the most, she said that there is not one in particular that stands out.
