The Jury of Impeachment decided the start date of the trial against Norma Abate de Mazzuchellijudge of the Civil Chamber of La Rioja, after the bribery scandal: It will take place on Tuesday, July 2, starting at 8:30 in the hall of the Association of Magistrates of La Rioja.
The Jury of Impeachment is made up of Dr. Gabriela Irina Asis, Miguel Angel Zarate As a representative of the Executive Branch, the ladies deputies, Carla Aliendro, Gabriela Amoroso Fernandez and Nadina Reynoso As representatives of the Legislative Branch, Dr. Graciela del Valle Bazan representing the Professional Council of Lawyers of the Province of La Rioja and Dr. Ariel Sebastian Bacchus for the performance of the position of Secretary, appointed by TSJ Administrative Agreement No. 80.
In view of this, and after successive sessions were held where all the questions raised by the Accused Judge were resolved, including the challenges raised and in accordance with the procedure provided for in Law 8,450, is in a position to continue with the process determined by Law 8,450. In that sense, the Trial Jury was able to set a date for the purposes of carrying out the corresponding debate hearing, in accordance with the law, to finally discuss and resolve the eventual dismissal of the accused, in accordance with the Provincial Constitution and Law 8,450. .
The story of the trial
After the Governor of La Rioja, Ricardo Quintela, has requested the investigation and removal from office of Judge Norma Abate de Mazzuchelli, the High Court of Justice (TSJ) of La Rioja did not accept the judge’s resignation and instead suspended her preventively while a summary is carried out against her. This summary is the first step on the path towards a possible trial jury.
The complaint against Abate It was filed by the owner of a well-known bookstore in La Rioja, who stated that the judge demanded a sum of $8,000,000 to speed up a succession process that was stalled.. The complainant supported her accusations with audiovisual material that shows the judge in action.
The prosecutor in charge of the case, Luis Gonzalez Aguirrecharged Abate with the crime of illegal exaction, as defined in article 266 of the Penal Code. This crime carries penalties ranging from 1 to 4 years in prison, as well as a special disqualification that can extend from 1 to 5 years. This article punishes public officials who abuse their position to request, demand or receive improper contributions or gifts.
According to this media, The highest authority of the province has reportedly already spoken with the authorities of the Legislative and Judicial Branches to speed up the relevant mechanisms to remove from office the judge accused of bribery requests for the handling of different cases..
“The events that occurred and were publicly reported are unacceptable and of absolute seriousness. Judge Abate de Mazzuchelli, accused of asking for bribes to resolve different cases, is attacking the trust of the Rioja people in Justice; therefore, I requested the separation of her charge and investigation of this situation”Quintela stated through his official account. X.
At the same time, the governor who is promoting the investigation stated that “the people of La Rioja deserve a transparent Justice that is on their side guaranteeing compliance with their rights” and highlighted the need for constitutional reform. “Some time ago, I have promoted and spoken about the limit of the periodicity of judges to avoid, among other things, vices in the correct actions that Justice should have; that is why The conventional constituents are addressing this issue for the Constitutional Reform. “It is necessary for our society,” Quintela concluded.
