CICIG - The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala
Buscar: 
English l Español
        Press Releases
PRESS RELEASE 024
Guatemala, 13 June 2014.
PRESS RELEASE 023
Guatemala, 6 June 2014.
PRESS RELEASE 022
Guatemala, 6 June 2014.
PRESS RELEASE 021
Guatemala, 5 June 2014.
        Photo note
At the forum "Young and Committed", Commissioner Iván Velásquez called upon the youth to join forces in fighting impunity.

PRESS RELEASE 014

SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE LIFTS IMMUNITY OF JUVENILE COURT JUDGE

Guatemala, 8 May 2014. The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) ruled to lift the immunity of Judge Mario Fernando Peralta Castañeda, formerly the judge of the Court of Children and Adolescents and Adolescents in Conflict with Criminal Law (Escuintla Department), because of irregularities in adoption procedures he oversaw.

The application to lift immunity, filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), was ruled on by the CSJ on 19 March 2014. With this latest ruling, the judge has had his immunity lifted on four occasions.

The complaint stated that Judge Peralta would use "child laundering" to prevent the minors from being located and claimed by their biological parents, disguising the illegalities of the procedure in order to ensure the impunity of actions taken by network members. These actions were largely fuelled by economic interests.

To complete the illegal adoption procedure documents were forged and the child's identity was hidden in order to give the impression that his or her rights had been violated. Subsequently, a custody case would be brought, pursuant to the Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents Act, without fulfilling all the legal requirements.

Through these means, Judge Peralta was able to declare the abandonment of the minors—the final requirement to begin an adoption procedure—and create a sense of legitimacy for the actions of other stakeholders (including the Asociación Primavera) in the illegal procedure.

To do so, the Asociación Primavera would reach a prior agreement with Judge Peralta, he would declare the abandonment of the minors and make the actions seem legal. In reality, the procedures were plagued by substantive shortcomings such as DNA evidence that the women claiming to be biological mothers were not actually the mother of the child.

The lifting of immunity hearing was heard by the President of the Third Chamber of the Court of Criminal Appeals, Narcotics and Crimes against the Environment, Carlos Ramiro Contreras Valenzuela, who ruled that the facts reported by the MP and CICIG were sufficient grounds on which to lift immunity and investigate Judge Peralta.


Read related news

Contact Us
Apartado Postal 934 "A"
Guatemala, Guatemala, C.A

        About Guatemala
  The Republic of Guatemala, a mountainous country that lies in the Central American isthmus, has an estimated population of 13 million people.
  Guatemala won its independence in 1821, following almost three centuries of Spanish colonial rule.
Home |  About CICIG |  News Archives |  Mandate |  Institutional Reform |  Technical Assistance |  Reports |  Agreements |  Job Opportunities |  Contact Us
2024 The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. The content of this webpage can be reproduced if the source is acknowledged.