Colombian authorities have opened an investigation against the country’s Supreme Court president and magistrates of the Bogota Superior Tribunal who went on holiday with candidate magistrates.
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The investigation against Supreme Court President Ruth Marina Diaz was opened by the House of Representatives’ Accusations Commission, the only body able to investigate the Supreme Court or (former) presidents of the Republic.
Additionally, the disciplinary chamber of the Cupreme Judiciary Council opened a preliminary investigation against two of seven magistrates who went on holiday with the Supreme Court president at a time the Supreme Court is to elect a chairman for its civil chamber.
Diaz and her Bogota colleagues are suspected of influence peddling as the Supreme Court is looking to occupy the vacant seat of the presidency of the civil chamber.
According to the disciplinary chamber of the Superior Judiciary Council there is enough merit to investigate whether the magistrate tried to influence the Supreme Court’s president when buying her a ticket for a luxury cruise in the Caribbean.
The disciplinary chamber will try to determine “whether or not there was a disciplinary offense on the behalf of the magistrates of the Supreme Tribunal of Bogota and the magistrate…of Villavicencio who were at the cruise in the Caribbean.”
On Tuesday, the Corporation of Excellence in Justice asked for Diaz’ resignation.
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“It is shameful, not that she [Ruth Marina Diaz] went on vacation without permission, but that she went during a time of electoral decision and with candidates to fill the vacancy,” said Borrero.
The holiday is controversial because a number of the magistrates who joined the Supreme Court president on the cruise are candidates for the post of president of the Supreme Court’s civil chamber, which has found itself without chairman since the end of 2011.
Diaz, as court president, does not only have the right to vote for that position, but is chairman of the plenary chamber that eventually will elect the civil chamber’s president.