PRESS RELEASE 029
COUNCIL OF THE JUDICIAL SERVICE CONFIRM JUDGE GALICIA IS UNDER INVESTIGATION
Guatemala, May 2, 2012. The Council of the Judicial Service (CCJ) confirmed the ruling of the Judicial Disciplinary Board (JDJ) that ordered the opening of a disciplinary investigation against Judge Verónica del Rosario Galicia Marroquín for her conduct in the Fraijanes II case, in which she violated her legal and constitutional obligations.
The ruling of the Council responds to the application for invalidity and the application for appeal presented by Galicia Marroquín to prevent a case from being opened against her in the JDJ, which had set the date and time in February to hold a hearing to establish whether or not the judge had committed disciplinary offences.
The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) lodged a complaint before the JDJ based on the fact that Galicia Marroquín revealed fundamental aspects of the investigation, even though the judge responsible for investigations must guarantee the confidentiality of the investigation. Furthermore, she called into question the acts of the parties to the proceedings.
In the application for invalidity, Galicia Marroquín alleged that CICIG does not have the jurisdiction to file complaints against judges, because—in her opinion—the Commission can only take action against judges that are linked to organized crime.
In the same case, as part of criminal proceedings, the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) still needs to assign a new investigating judge to determine whether or not Galicia Marroquín committed a crime through her conduct in the Fraijanes II proceedings. The need to assign a new judge stems from the recusal filed by Galicia Marroquín against the judge assigned to the case, and the following judge's refusal to accept jurisdiction. The CSJ lifted the judge's impunity last March in order to start the investigation against her.
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