Civil society organizations proposed to the Assembly a new bill to facilitate the work of the CICIES.
President Nayib Bukele is afraid of losing control of the CICIES, which is why his rejection of the new draft “Special Law to Facilitate the Mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in El Salvador”, deputies said this morning of ARENA and the FMLN.
“Leaving the framework that he had it, we must remember who had it: Luis Almagro (Secretary General of the Organization of American States OAS), who made the bread in favor of Bukele, this CICIES as it was hoisted by they (government) were a weapon of attack for the opposition, not for them, “said FMLN faction deputy leader Jorge Schafik Handal.
Bukele published his rejection of this regulation after a press conference given by various civil society organizations who raised the project in February 2021 before the Legislative Assembly.
SEE: CICIES calls on government to reform to intensify fight against corruption
However, the president reacted on his Twitter account that nothing that the current legislature does will be valid when it assumes the new Assembly on May 1.
“Just by looking at these NGO logos that are behind this ‘proposal’ and seeing the ‘media’ that are publishing it, I’m sure it would be the worst thing we could do. Also, don’t insist anymore, nothing of what approve the outgoing Assembly will never take effect, “Bukele said.
Some of the organizations that champion the new law to facilitate the work of the CICIES are the DTJ Foundation, Fepade, and Cristosal, among others.
José Mariner, representative of the DTJ Foundation, asked President Bukele that instead of questioning the organizations that have designed the proposal he should deliver on what he promised in his presidential campaign.
SEE: CICIES has presented three warnings to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for alleged corruption in the public administration
“We reiterate the call for maturity and consistency with the promises he has made in the past and to set aside the logos of organizations that are uncomfortable to him, and that he hopes he can see the content of the proposal,” he said. stated Mariner this Wednesday at a press conference.
According to Handal, Bukele’s fear is due to the fact that there are more than 83 warnings of corruption cases in the Prosecutor’s Office of the use of state funds by government institutions used for the pandemic.
“About 83 cases were reported of resources allocated during the pandemic, of Chuecos business between members of the cabinet or their relatives to bring medicines and other services that were needed, of these, a few have been taken to the prosecution, which is not known if it has done anything with them or not, “Handal explained.
Bukele’s rejection of new regulations to investigate corruption cases comes at a time when US Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle Ricardo Zúñiga is coming to El Salvador this Wednesday to meet with Attorney General Raúl Melara. precisely at the headquarters of the CICIES.
For ARENA faction deputy head Julio Fabián, Bukele’s statements no longer surprise them. According to him, he tends to comment without having much knowledge of how the proposals are drafted.
For Fabián, if the initiative seeks to improve and facilitate the work carried out by the CICIES, it must be approved by the Assembly.
“The CICIES should not be attached to the Executive, but to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, to strengthen the investigation and the scientific part and if it is to promote this support under the terms that the Constitution mandates, that the governing body must be the Public Prosecutor’s Office, if in these terms it is I see correct that the reforms can be implemented as soon as possible, as long as rights are not violated “, declared Fabián.
The initiative presented by the civil organizations was presented to the Assembly, and seeks, among other things, to give institutional and financial independence to the current CICIES.
The proposal takes up the Framework Cooperation Agreement signed by the government and the OAS General Secretariat on November 26, 2019. In addition, they request the reform of the Criminal Procedure Code to allow the CICIES to participate as a plaintiff in criminal proceedings. to be developed in the country.
It also seeks the support of the CICIES to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the investigation and promotion of criminal prosecution. According to the mocionantes, at present the function of the CICIES is very limited, since the agreement is Executive and to expand his field of application has to remain sustained in a legislative decree.
Another aspect that is detailed in the proposal of the social bodies is to provide the CICIES with the power to file complaints, notices to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and to be a complainant, together with mechanisms for transparency and citizen participation.