The spokesman for the Citizen Victory Movement in the House of Representatives, Mariana Nogales Molinelli, proposed a series of changes to the criminal code so that government officials found guilty of corruption crimes are obliged to compensate the state for the losses suffered due to their illegal activities. actions.
House Bill 482 would make the sanction of restitution as mandatory in cases of illegal appropriation of money or public property, illegal use of credit or debit cards, illegal use of work or public services, alteration or mutilation of property, undue influence, omission or negligence in the performance of the task and the misappropriation of public funds, committed by employees of the public service in the performance of their duties.
“Currently, the judge has the freedom to determine whether or not to impose the sanction of restitution. With this measure, we remove this discretion and establish that in the event of corruption, the convicted person must return what he has stolen or abused to the government and the country. The possible loss of freedom is undoubtedly a very serious and regrettable consequence, but it does not repair the damage done to the treasury, nor does it appear to have been a sufficient deterrent to a Tata Charbonier, a Nelson Del Valle or a Julia. Keleher. They need to know that if they get rich or illegally gain benefits at the expense of all of us, they will have to return what they stole or let us lose, ” the legislator said, adding that one of the other amendments would clearly demonstrate that these crimes will not prescribe.
Nogales Molinelli recognized that changes are also needed to end impunity and facilitate the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases. “We know that if these crimes are seldom investigated or brought to justice, the sense of impunity with which we have already seen them occur will continue to prevail no matter how severe the sentences are. That is why we are also proposing changes to the Comptroller’s Office Law to eliminate any automatic criminal immunity and to make it mandatory to publish the names of the persons involved in the Comptroller’s reports, ”he explained.
Through accumulation, the representative assured that this project provides more and better tools of investigation and retaliation to the prosecution service, which should give higher priority to the fight against corruption. “We’ve often wondered what the Justice Department’s priorities are in determining how it will use its limited resources. Today, the case of five student leaders has been reactivated, who are still accused and accused of interrupting a meeting of the UPR Board of Directors nearly four years ago. We hope the Justice Department will do the same and refrain from pursuing a process that was clearly politically motivated and that seriously attacks the freedom of expression and association of the UPR students, ”said Nogales Molinelli.