Jurists Francisco Franco and Julio Cury have backed the report of the Special Commission of the Chamber of Deputies that recommends politically accusing the five members of the Chamber of Accounts. They argued that at the time of their appointment, it was believed that this body would carry out its functions with competence and probity, but the opposite turned out to be true, as they have been the source of constant scandals.
They pointed out that every human community must restrain anarchic tendencies and confine them within the bounds of the law, so it was imperative, in their opinion, to “disapprove of the intoxicated and malicious actions of the Chamber of Accounts.” Cury argued that it was not healthy for the system to be presided over by someone who is “publicly rumored to be socially resentful, who sees the levers of power as tools to avenge personal complexes, who sexually harasses employees, according to a complaint filed against him, and even worse, three of his peers accuse him of committing acts of gender violence.”
He explained that, in a way, the concluded investigation was the most challenging phase of the process. “Now the report will be presented to the Chamber of Deputies; if approved, the charges will be sent to the Senate in the form of an accusation, which, in turn, must set a date for the opening of the trial, becoming a tribunal. During the process, the accused will have the right to appear in person and be assisted by lawyers, and at the end, which may take weeks, two-thirds of the Senate membership will vote, either condemning or acquitting,” clarified Cury.
On his part, Franco specified that the sanction, in case of conviction, would consist of removal from office and a ten-year disqualification from holding any other public position. “The political trial, although not exactly a preliminary step, would put the official in a state of criminal accusation if the serious acts for which they are being judged constitute a criminal offense, in which case they would be prosecuted before the regular courts, as they lose the privilege of being judged by the Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice as a sole instance,” he affirmed.
He said that the decision is legislatively, legally, and politically correct. “It is an attempt to redirect the body and put it back on the path of transparency and institutionalism that the current composition of the Chamber of Accounts had abandoned,” he added. Last Saturday, the Special Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, appointed to investigate the members of the Chamber of Accounts, chaired by Rogelio Genao Lanza, released a press statement stating that they had found evidence that they had committed serious collective and individual offenses, and therefore recommended to the lower chamber to politically accuse the five members of the oversight body.
