Members of the Chamber of Accounts entered decisively among those investigated for administrative corruption, following the prosecution’s claim that they had altered audits to encourage ex-officials to cover up fraudulent actions against the treasury.
A statement from the Attorney General’s Office states that its prosecutors have detected “indications that compromise the criminal responsibility of the Chamber of Accounts in crimes of administrative corruption, so it decided to expand the investigations that for obstruction of justice began against its current members “.
The statement added that the investigations against the Chamber of Accounts, headed by Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez, “point to the commission of crimes such as association of criminals, forgery of documents, coalition of officials, complicity in fraud against the state and money laundering. assets “
He specifies that the investigations “have established that in the Chamber of Accounts multiple audits were altered to benefit former officials of official units that were being examined.
The investigations led by the General Prosecution Directorate of the Public Ministry and the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca), led by Magistrates Yeni Berenice Reynoso and Wilson Camacho, cover all members of the Chamber of Accounts.
Also to officials of other areas of this institution supervising the use of public funds, such as the Legal Consultancy and the Audit Department.
interrogatoris
In mid-December, the prosecutor’s office began questioning the president of the Chamber of Accounts, Hugo Álvarez Pérez, and the secretary, Carlos Noè Tejada Díaz, as part of an investigation against members of the audit body of the State “to obstruct justice by obstructing investigations into corruption in state institutions.”
“Officials were summoned to testify regarding information held by the Public Ministry on irregular handling by members of the Chamber of Accounts, to prevent the provision of reports required for the conduct of investigations carried out for administrative corruption. , money laundering and related infractions, “the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.
Pepca, with the support of the General Directorate of Persecution of the Public Ministry, is immersed in multiple investigations regarding complaints and grievances about irregularities in various institutions of the public administration. Prosecutors have sent repeated communications requesting information from the Chamber of Accounts. However, its members have responded evasively, “having in addition the Public Ministry evidence that they have committed irregular maneuvers, to prevent the provision of reports required for the conduct of investigations,” said the Prosecutor’s Office.
KNOW MORE
planned sanctions
“The penalty of imprisonment shall be imposed: on public officials, agents or delegates of the Government, whatever their rank, and the class to which they belong, who require or order, made require or order the action or use of the public force, to prevent the execution of a law, the perception of a legal contribution, the execution of a judicial act or order or of any other disposition emanated of legitimate authority “, establishes the article 188 of the Penal Code.