The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Mariano German Mejia warned that cases that are poorly prepared, that violate the chain of custody for evidence, and where there has been carelessness in the legality of the processes before these cases reach the judges, should not continue if we are to exercise an effective justice system.
German argued that it is easy to simply blame the judiciary for issuing rulings and sentences that are not always satisfactory to the public. “It is our obligation to assure that all levels of the courts involved in our judicial system be effective and responsible institutions.”
Likewise, he revealed that he recently requested that the Attorney General of the Republic, the National Police, and the National Department for Drug Control establish the proper procedures and protocols to prepare and present cases that are well-written and error free. He suggested that the proper administration of justice must respect the principle of the presumption of innocence and with that guarantee in place, the judicial processes is to be carried out in accordance with established ethics and with transparency. As he spoke during a meeting with the reporters that cover the judiciary, he said that this government branch is the last link of the justice process, and although he recognizes that there are weaknesses in the system, he assured the reporters that “we are reviewing with great care the roots or origins of the sentences that provoke questions in society so that we can find out if judges acted in accordance with due process.” German Mejia said that in a review of hundreds of cases it was concluded that the majority of the sentences issued by judges were appropriate, and that in the rare cases where anomalies were found further investigations have been ordered.