Customs Department director Miguel Cocco is very critical of the performance of the justice system under the new Penal Procedures Code. He criticized the fact that two suspects arrested for whisky smuggling had been released. He said that the new code and the tax laws are not in line with the disorder and lack of awareness that exists today.
He expressed indignation at Judge Clara Luz Almonte Gomez’s ruling in favor of the men, who were caught with the contraband, on the grounds that the 48 hours required for submission of the case had expired. Cocco said they were caught on Saturday. Sunday was not a working day, and the judges were not available on Monday, which led to the Tuesday judgment. “We do not believe in this justice. Everything has changed, but everything is still the same,” said Cocco, commenting that there is administrative corruption because there are people willing to corrupt. He said he would tackle this vigorously from his post in Customs.
As reported in Diario Libre, he said that as of now, he would not bother to prosecute people discovered smuggling and evading taxes because the judicial system is corrupt and issues judgments that favor the culprits.
He said that instead, he would limit himself to implementing Law 193 that allows Customs to confront evasion without sending the cases to justice.
He spoke during a round table meeting organized by the Fundacion Institucionalidad y Justicia (Finjus) at the Universidad Iberoamericana (Unibe). He said that arts. 5 and 6 of Customs Law 3489 and arts. 32 and 44 of the Tax Code authorize Customs officers to take on the roles of judicial police, enter businesses and carry out investigations when they suspect there has been contraband; make arrests and request proof of legitimate purchase.