Colombia's Supreme Court has dismissed 80 judges and penalized 1415
judges and lawyers in the last 17 years, mostly for omissions or errors
in their duties, El Tiempo reported Friday.
According to the newspaper, eight prosecutors and three judges were penalized alone in June.
Penalized judges often excuse mistakes by saying that they simply have too much work, like Sandra Victoria Pinzon Garzon argued when she forgot for 21 days to sign the release of a prisoner in Bogota.
So far this year, the Supreme Court has confirmed penalizing 25 officials and is concerned about the increase in penalties.
But the situation for lawyers is "more worrisome". On average, fifty lawyers are penalized each months. Five lawyers have been disbarred for not carrying out their duties and ethics in 2009.
