Arriaza Chicas has faced criminal charges for breach of duty. The prosecutor’s office said that this resolution was due to procedural errors brought by the Assembly when it came to justifying the urgency to appear before the Minister of Finance.
The Fifth Court of Peace of San Salvador, this afternoon, definitively dismissed the Director of Police, Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, for the crime of breach of obligations for which he faced criminal charges.
The judge argued that the order issued by the Legislative Assembly to urgently bring the Minister of Finance had no factual and legal arguments.
After hearing the resolution, the Prosecutor’s Office considered that it was due to procedural errors of the Assembly in this case. “If the Legislative Assembly had based the urgency differently, surely the decision would have been different, because as director of the Police it is due to the Constitution,” the prosecutor said in the case.
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In addition, after the dismissal of Arriaza Chicas, the judge also reprimanded him. “You have to obey the rule of law, not the people. It’s not worth a tweet, it’s not worth a call. We do not live in a monarchy, you have to obey the rule of law, “he told the police director.
Arriaza was charged by the Prosecutor’s Office with the crime of breach of duty after he refused to present the Minister of Finance, Alejandro Zelaya, before a commission of the Legislative Assembly, to make accounts on the use of public funds during the situation. COVID-19.
The commission ordered the PNC director to bring the minister to finance; However, Arriaza did not comply with the order for which he was prosecuted. The Commission has investigated the placement and destination of funds in Letes, Bonds and other securities issued by the Government of El Salvador in the framework of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Arriaza Chicas apologized for obeying Zelaya’s order, arguing that the use of force is governed by the “last report” principle, as a limitation of the exercise of power in relation to fundamental rights, and that on the grounds that Zelaya -he presented, as director of the police corporation, that the Minister of Finance had good reasons for not attending the convocation.
For their part, lawyers Arriaza Chicas argued that the order issued by the Assembly for the police director to take Minister Zelaya urgently is not legal.
The assembly approved the dismissal of Arriaza Chicas by 9F
In parallel with the lawsuit it is facing for violating its powers, the Legislative Assembly recently issued a statement notifying the diplomatic corps accredited in the country and the Prosecutor’s Office on the dismissal of Arriaza Chicas as director of the Police for human rights violations.
AND: The Assembly notifies the Prosecutor’s Office of the dismissal of Arriaza Chicas
The document was issued by the Special Commission that investigated the events that took place before, during and after the militarization of the Legislative Assembly, on February 9.
On 17 December, MEPs approved by 58 votes to 10, with three abstentions, the compulsory dismissal of Police Director Mauricio Arriaza Chicas for “serious human rights violations” due to the events of 9 February. However, President Bukele said he would not comply with the order.