Guatemala, April 06, 2011. Francisco Dall'Anese Ruiz, head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), expressed his concerns regarding the justice sector institutions' lack of economic resources—GTQ 1,450 million is needed to ensure their continued operation.

"A justice system without funding is not independent, because it must turn to other State branches to seek economic support. In addition it would not have flexibility, thereby generating impunity," he said.

He added that if Guatemala is calling upon its Government and the branches of the State to reduce impunity and deliver justice, funding must be injected into the whole system (National Civil Police, Institute of Public Criminal Defense, Public Prosecutor's Office and the Judiciary) so that they "are able to meet the security and justice needs of Guatemalans".

He said that these institutions needed GTQ 1,450 million. Therefore, the Commission would back any requests made by these institutions to the relevant bodies with the aim of reducing their budget deficit.

"This money would not be for anything new, but rather to strengthen what already exists and replace rent expenses with owned properties. This would create enhanced administration and a better service at these institutions; however, the State branches must be willing to facilitate the continued operation of such bodies," he said.

He explained that the quoted figure was revealed after a meeting held with heads of the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP), the Judiciary (OJ), the Ministry of the Interior and the Institute of Public Criminal Defense.

He warned that without the money, the institutions in question would not be able to continue until the end of the year, and given the lack of budget to continue operating, the justice institutions were contemplating a cutback in services, at a time when Guatemala urgently needs an efficient justice system and a good police service.

The Commissioner shed light on the state of the justice system after the signing of an agreement with the Government of Argentina.

Support for the Commission's work
The Government of Argentina expressed its support to the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), signing an agreement whereby a contingent of officers will be sent to the Commission to form part of the security department.

The following signed the agreement: Ernesto Justo López, Ambassador of Argentina and Francisco Javier Dall'Anese Ruiz, CICIG Commissioner. René Mauricio Valdés, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System, was invited as witness of honor.

The Government of Argentina will send the officers to provide protection to CICIG officials and facilities. The Argentine officials will complete the duties assigned to them by the security department of the Commission and they will comply with CICIG staff rules.

Ambassador López said that the support the twelve members of the National Gendarmerie would provide to CICIG was a sign of Argentina's commitment to Guatemala, United Nations and CICIG—whose praiseworthy mission is strongly supported by the Government of Argentina.

"It is a way of showing our commitment to the Government of Guatemala and United Nations, because CICIG is the product of an agreement between the two. Impunity has harmful effects upon a society, because it limits justice and promotes a culture of illegality," he said.

He also said that the Government of Argentina views working with CICIG to be a privilege and a responsibility. The country provides assistance through its military, which is also involved in Argentinean peace missions in countries such as Haiti.

Commissioner Dall'Anese expressed his thanks to the Ambassador for the provision of human resources and said that the Commission would take full advantage of the contingent's security knowledge and experience. "This support demonstrates that a country values the work undertaken by CICIG in the fight against impunity in Guatemala," he said.

"We would like to thank the Government of Argentina for its contribution to the Commission's mission to tackle impunity in Guatemala. It is important to acknowledge this contribution because it will reduce [Argentina's] domestic security force in order to help a fellow country."

He said that security is a crucial area for CICIG, because without adequate security for its staff, it could not fulfill its mandate: "The sending of this contingent is a human contribution and it is admirable because it risks the lives of their compatriots in order to ensure the security of the officials working at the Commission."

"I hope one day, when we are in our own countries, we can feel satisfied knowing that impunity was eradicated in Guatemala and the country has a functioning democracy that affords Guatemalans freedoms and human development," he said.

René Mauricio Valdés, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Guatemala, said CICIG reflects a real effort made by UN member states, donors and patterns to enable the Commission to fulfill its mandate of tackling impunity. Therefore, he thanked the Ambassador of Argentina for the latest contribution.