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Prosecutor Garrido Expresses Concern Over Excessive Delays in Hearings for Rural Violence Cases
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The regional prosecutor of La Araucanía, Roberto Garrido, dedicated a chapter of his Public Account to what he called the problem of delays in hearings for emblematic cases of so-called rural violence.
The criminal prosecutor cited as an example the homicide of Sub-Officer Francisco Benavides, where the trial preparation was postponed approximately ten times for various reasons.
Garrido stated that in that case, the Prosecutor's Office had 197 days (approximately 6.5 months) after the investigation was formalized to present the charges. However, from the time the charges were filed until the actual trial preparation hearing, 852 days passed (nearly 28 months).
In his opinion, the disproportion is considerable and concerning, reflecting management issues (and potentially abuse of rights) that could ultimately weaken the system of guarantees for all citizens.
The deputy for La Araucanía, Gloria Naveillán, also expressed concern about this issue and was open to the possibility of legislating on the matter.
A criticism also echoed by UDI deputy Henry Leal, who asserted that this is an abuse of procedural maneuvers by lawyers, calling for legislation to end these situations.
Regional Prosecutor Roberto Garrido said that this repetition of postponements severely affects the possibility of delivering timely justice and undermines the community's trust in the judicial system, prolonging the suffering of victims.
Source:BiobioChile
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