The Court prosecutor, Juan Gómez, suggests that prosecutors avoid giving statements about cases that are in the investigation stage.
Juan Gomezprosecutor of the Court of Uruguay, I sign a memorandum in which it establishes recommendations regarding contact with the press and the use of social networks prosecutor teams; however, they are not required to comply with them.
Last week the Court Prosecutor and Attorney General of the Nation published a series of recommendations for contact with the press aimed at prosecutors or “Officials belonging to Level N” through the signature of the memorandum number 1584/2023. There, it first establishes that the recommendations “are not mandatory and each prosecutor will apply them according to their own criteria within the framework of their technical independence.”
Among the guidelines addressed to prosecutors, Gómez recommends “avoiding public comments in any way on cases while they are in the processing stage.” investigation”. Furthermore, the memorandum recommends that “in those cases where the disclosure of sensitive information could compromise the development of the investigations, it is recommended to request the judge in the case to reserve the corresponding proceedings.”
On the other hand, he referred to the cases that have completed and formalized the investigation. “Once an investigation is formalized, it is prudent to communicate the result of the investigation to the population. This can be done both personally by the tax team and through the Communication Department of the Attorney General’s Office”, he expressed.
In that sense, he stressed that they must “address the journalists, victims, witnesses, lawyers and other people with respect and in a tone that denotes equanimity and professionalism”, while in the use of social networks it calls to “avoid the use of social networks to comment on aspects linked to the criminal investigations that are being carried out and to debate with third parties about them.”
Lastly, and based on the Letter of Ethical Principles of the Ibero-American Public Ministries, Gómez affirms that “fiscal actions will be exercised with due prudence, and in their actions they must act with discretion and due reserve.”
Source: Ambito
