MPs fast-track project to create 27 new federal prosecutors to tackle drug-related violence in Rosario

A plenary of Justice and Criminal Legislation Commissions of the Chamber of Deputies made progress today with the signing of the opinion of a project that aims strengthen federal criminal justice in the province of Santa Fein the middle of the escalation of drug-related violence.

The project, which was prepared by the 18 deputies of Santa Fe from different forces, such as Frente de Todos, PRO, UCR and Socialismo, were originally presented in May last year. It proposes, among other things, the creation of 27 prosecutor positions (15 based in Rosario)9 posts of defenders, 6 judges with functions of guarantees, 6 judges with functions of revision and 2 judges with functions of judgment and execution.

In this way it will be possible fit the judicial structure for the implementation of the adversarial system, which is already in force in Salta and Jujuy, to have a “more agile and faster” federal justice. This system, also called adversarial —like the one in force in the United States—, clearly distributes the functions between a prosecutor who investigates and accuses, and a judge who decides.

“This project is intended to generate the infrastructure necessary for the implementation of the Code of Criminal Procedure sanctioned in 2014. This code is very effective, in Salta and Jujuy for example, the trials last 60 days“, underlined the deputy PRO, Paul Tonelli.

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The initiative still needs to get an opinion from the budget committee go to the police station to vote. From the ruling party, they explained that the body headed by Carlos Heller was not called to today’s plenary session because it was first necessary to finish determining the definitive organizational chart. “We cannot ask the deputies of the Budget to sign an opinion on something that we have finished defining today”, they explained to GlobeLiveMedia.

However, both the broad agreement between almost all political forces because the social pressure generated by the repeated episodes of violence recorded so far this year — more than 60 homicides — will surely allow speed up parliamentary time.

This morning, the Minister of Security, Hannibal Fernandezfeatured in Rosario a new operation against drug-related violence. He did it with the governor, Omar Perotti, and the local mayor, Pablo Javkin. This is a reinforcement of 300 men from the national gendarmerie and 100 others from the federal police to reinforce security in a city which suffers acts of violence almost daily. After the President’s announcement Alberto Fernandez Yesterday the battery of measures foresees that the 400 uniformed officers will join the 575 that the national government sent in September 2021 and the other 425 that were added in the following months. Also, the presence of the Argentine Army, through its Company of Engineers, to participate in the urbanization of popular neighborhoods.

During the debate in committee, all parties agreed that one of the main problems of federal justice in this province is related to the lack of update in its structure. For example, they mentioned that For 40 years a new prosecutor’s office has not been created in Rosariodespite the large increase in its population.

“20% of drug cases in the country come from Rosario. With this project, the magic solution will not come and be implemented tomorrow. But it’s great that all the lawmakers in Santa Fe have agreed to move forward with a project,” the official said. Ricardo Mirabelle.

You may be interested: Aníbal Fernández launched the operation against drug-related violence in Rosario: “It is imperative to go to the bone”

For his part, the socialist enrique estevez pointed against Cristina Kirchner for not having mentioned the names of the senators who should be part of the bicameral commission responsible for supervising the application of the new Code of Criminal Procedure and the adversarial system.

“It is the responsibility of Cristina Kirchner, because the Chamber of Deputies appointed its representatives. It would be important to have an explanation of why the bicameral was not constituted, as well as an explanation of why the new Attorney General was not elected. We will not be able to fight drug trafficking if the institutions are not transparent,” he said.

Although they were satisfied with the consensus that the project gathers, from the opposition they insisted that appointment of new judges and prosecutors could take yearsin light of the large number of vacancies that currently exist and the conflict within the Judicial Council.

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