A.M. Chamber of Accounts trial

[NewsWhore]

In today's A.M. column in Diario Libre, Editor Adriano Miguel Tejada comments on all the confusion about what constitutes a "political trial". This is the process that is facing the remaining members of the Chamber of Accounts, according to all of the national newspapers. According to lawyer-editor Tejada, a political trial is not a criminal trial. Therefore, responsibilities can be collective or individual, and since in this case there have been no individual faults pointed out, the trial should be for all members, minus, of course, the ones who resigned. The Senate will act as a 32-judge panel. Just as in a trial, the accused have their rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the law, and have the right to a fair, oral, public and confrontational trial. They may be assisted by lawyers if they wish. Of course, they must be notified about the accusations and must be given a reasonable period of time to prepare their defense. Tejada points out that just recently there have been questions about whether they can be judged by Congress, some pointing out that the Chamber of Accounts members are not elected officials. The answer is that they are elected officials of the second degree, and that is what the legislator understands, since Article 36 of the Law that established the Chamber of Accounts says that: "The members of the Chamber of Accounts will be responsible before the National Congress for the conduct and performance of their duties, according to the Constitution. If they are found guilty of crimes or misconduct, they will be judged by normal tribunals, without the need to seek permission to begin proceedings and without having to be fired or suspended from their posts." Tejada concludes that "clearer then that is not possible."

More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)