According to the order of the official list, Consuelo Porras —who is seeking re-election for a third term as head of the Public Ministry— appears in the group that nomination committee plans to evaluate the next Thursday, April 16.
The review of Porras’ file will take place in the middle of a process that is advancing under legal tension due to protections and a complaint that question the way in which the professional experience of applicants is weighted.
The Nomination Commission He started his work since February and in the ongoing evaluation phase new disputes and internal tensions arose.
This stage of the process will continue this Thursday the 16th. Of the 48 applicants that must be evaluated, 26 have already been qualified, so 22 files must still be submitted to the weighting of merits, among them that of the current attorney general.
The commission is scheduled to continue with the purge in the session scheduled for tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., in which Porras is expected to be the second candidate to be evaluated.
Of the group already evaluated, only five candidates have exceeded the minimum of 75 points to qualify to join the final list of six candidateswhose vote is scheduled for this Friday April 17.
Those who have reached the score are: Brenda Muñoz Sánchez (90.86), Gabriel García (86.21), José Manuel Quinto (79), Néctor de León (79.69) and Henry Elías Wilson (76.85).
Read more details: Five candidates have an advantage in evaluation for Attorney General of the MP
Opposed postures
Porras’ evaluation occurs in the midst of a direct contrast of positions.
On the one hand, the prosecutor defended her continuity before the commission during the interview phase and assured that she is prepared to continue in the position, although she did not present a formal work plan, citing time limitations during her intervention.
Porras affirmed that his management supports his aspiration and maintained that he trusts that decisions will be made in accordance with the rule of law.
In contrast, President Bernardo Arévalo publicly ruled out any possibility of him continuing as head of the Public Ministry.
The president was emphatic when pointing out that “there would be no chance” to confirm her for a third term and described her profile as unsuitable for the position.
In addition, Arévalo has stated that the next attorney general should focus on “rescuing” the institution.
Porras, sanctioned for alleged corruption by the United States and the European Union, already tried without success achieve a magistracy in the Constitutional Court, without his application being known by the plenary session of the Supreme Court of Justice, nor by the Higher University Council of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala (Usac).
Legal actions in progress
The evaluation process has been marked by legal actions that could affect the final integration of the payroll.
The Anti-Terrorism Foundation filed a complaint against the postulator’s secretary, Patricia Gamez, and several commissioners for crimes such as abuse of authority, breach of duties and violation of the Constitution.
The central point is that applicants who do not meet the requirements would be allowed to participate, particularly when considering the years spent as judges as professional experience, despite the fact that—according to the complainants—the law prohibits it.
Furthermore, they maintain that a previous criterion of the Constitutional Court on this point would have been ignored.
In parallel, the Center for the Defense of the Constitution (Cedecon) presented an amparo by warning that some candidates would not prove the two constitutional avenues: having been a court judge or having practiced law for more than ten years.
These actions keep the evaluation criteria uncertain just before the final list is formed, a process that analysts consider crucial and that could require legal clarity before the final vote.
The discussion on evaluation criteria—prompted by the commissioner Luis Aragón Soléalternate secretary of the commission and dean of law at Universidad San Pablo—led to internal tensions and he has even been named in the complaint by the Foundation Against Terrorism.
A few days after integrating the final list, the resolution still has not been issued after three magistrates; Dina Ochoa, Roberto Molina Barreto and Julia Riverathey had requested the President Anabella Morfín that the plenary session hear the case, without so far a session having been called at 3:00 p.m. this Wednesday, April 15.