Noboa orders financial asset review of judges who grant pre-trial release to violent criminal suspects
President Daniel Noboa has ordered audits of the personal assets of judges who allow some criminal to go free. The audits will be carried out by the Financial and Economic Analysis Unit (UAFE) in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior.
The government believes that some violent criminals are being granted pre-trial release by corrupt judges.
The order follows complaints by National Police and Interior Minister John Reimberg that judges are allowing dangerous criminal suspects to go free pending trial. “We understand pre-release is reasonable for some non-violent crimes, but putting murderers and kidnappers back on the street is an insult to law enforcement and endangers public safety,” Reimberg said Friday. “We believe that bribery is involved in many of these cases.”
Noboa’s action follows a judge’s decision Tuesday allowing pre-trial release of a suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Guayaquil shop owner.
“From now on, the UAFE will conduct an analysis of the personal assets of judges, prosecutors and others involved in granting pre-trial release of suspected murderers, kidnappers, extortionists, drug traffickers, and others involved in violent crimes,” the president’s office said in a press statement. “On countless occasions, the police have been forced to capture the same criminal as many as 10 times because they have not been incarcerated following their arrests.”
The statement continued: “Based on recent judicial reviews, we believe that many of the releases may involve financial rewards from criminal organizations to judicial system employees.”
On Tuesday, Reimberg announced the creation of an “inter-institutional security table” that will review some judicial decisions. The group will include officials from the Interior Ministry, the Attorney General’s office and the Council of the Judiciary. “The goal of these discussions will be to protect the public from violent criminals, and to set up a review process in cases when dangerous criminals are released pending trial.”
