Civil society statement questions re-election of Judge Luis Porfirio Sánchez

In a letter to members of the Legislative Council’s Appointments Committee, the judge said: There are no complaints against him Besides always being respectful to his colleagues, he was not sanctioned for any alleged sexual offences while performing his duties. He claimed that there was a campaign to tarnish his reputation.

Congresswoman Monserrate Ruiz and Katia Cambronerofrom the National Liberation Party (PLN) and The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) confirmed they would vote against Sanchez’s re-election. Ruiz said two more PLN lawmakers had expressed support for this.

In addition, the leaders of the pro-government faction, Pilar Cisneroshad publicly opposed Sánchez’s re-election and even voted against his re-election during a debate in the Legislative Assembly’s Appointments Committee. Finally, the Amplification Front (FA) deputies, Jonathan Coyneindicating that his faction had serious doubts about the continuity of the magistrates.

“Various very worrying information has emerged, with very serious allegations against the magistrate. The Broad Front faction will make a decision next Monday on how we vote, but the fact is that this causes us a lot of concerns; we will analyze these allegations very seriously and we will not ignore them,” Acuña declared.

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The 18 civil society organizations that issued the statement, which include the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) and the Forum of Political Women of Costa Rica, said the following about the magistrate on August 22:

“In his capacity as a labor judge, he dismissed the sexual harassment charges against his former deputy, but the Second Chamber later overturned this decision due to serious procedural flaws and the incorrect application of existing law. In the judgment, there was evidence of a lack of due diligence by then-Judge Sanchez in examining the facts at first instance and a complete lack of a gender perspective.”

“In addition, a public defender refused to recognize her right to breastfeeding while sitting as a judge during a judicial examination, which was also publicly condemned. And, as a very serious fact, a complaint was made about obscene behavior in front of the judge, which constitutes a blatant act of violence and abuse of power against this public official.”

statement Signatory:

1. Elm Pear Association
2. Civic Association Visits
3. La Corriente Feminist Association
4. Centre for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
5. Nicoya Feminist Collective
6. inter-american coordination on women’s human rights
7. CISAS Decision-Making Collective
8. Liberian independent feminist
9. Costa Rican Women in Politics Forum
10. Family groups that survived female murders
11. CEDAW Agenda Working Group
12. Institute for Women’s Studies (IEM)
13. Women in Action
14. Costa Rica is also a must
15. Feminist Republic
16. Feminist Network Against Violence Against Women
17. Municipal Women’s Network
18. Animal horns

The organizations reminded delegates that those who hold the high office of the Supreme Court must be persons of integrity and fitness, as the state requires all public officials to be incorruptible.

“At a time when violence against women is increasing in the country, it is unacceptable for the Legislative Assembly to sidestep this message, as it sends the message that violence against women is tolerated. We call on Congress to reject the re-election of Mr. Luis Porfirio Sánchez,” the joint statement quoted.

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Representative Monserrate Ruiz said nation He discussed this topic with his colleagues Kattia Rivera and Joaquín Hernández, as well as Kattia Cambronero from the PLP. “We cannot continue to perpetuate sexual violence against women, we cannot allow such actions by those in power.”

Cambronero confirmed Ruiz’s statement: “If there is any doubt, you cannot vote for this re-election. The accusations are very serious. He sent a note to the appointments committee, but I can’t find a clear defense of the accusations against him. He didn’t do it publicly either, he just sent the note to the committee, but why didn’t he make it public? “I am not satisfied. In my opinion, he should not be re-elected.”

The PP representative assured that Ada Acuña, a lawmaker from the ruling Progressive Social Democratic Party (PPSD), had also expressed her concerns about the allegations. Efforts to contact Acuña and Pilar Cisneros were unsuccessful.

On August 14, the Appointments Committee of the Legislative Assembly discussed the re-election of Luis Porfirio Sánchez, eight days after the civil society organization issued its statement.

Six of the seven members of the forum proposed the extension of the appointment of magistrates. Carlos Andrés Robles, from the Christian Social Organization (PUSC), voted this way; Gloria Navas, an independent; Eliécer Feinzaig, from the PLP; Alejandra Larios and Dinorah Barquero, from the PLN; and Jonathan Acuña, from the FA. Only Congresswoman Pilar Cisneros voted against it.

Leaders of government factions criticized Sanchez for his poor performance in the Second Chamber and for piling up unprocessed judicial files in his office.

“Citizens demand results, they demand swift, complete justice, not to have files that are four or five years late; people dying waiting for justice and never getting it. This is a serious issue, and I don’t think this guy (Sanchez) cares enough to resolve it, are we going to leave it there for eight years? That’s how I justify my vote against it,” Cisneros said during the committee.

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Six days later, on August 20, lawyer and former mayor Mario Rucavado published an opinion piece on the digital media Delfino.cr in which he called Sánchez’s re-election unacceptable.

Lucavado even recounted some incidents, which, as he said, were shared with him by one of his clients, who served as a temporary judge of the Supreme Court. According to the jurist, many years ago, magistrates would perform indecent acts in front of the parties without their consent.

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In this regard, Judge Luis Porfirio Sánchez Sent a letter On August 21, he filed a complaint with the Appointments Commission in which he denied the allegations and called them false. The judge said that Rucavado had engaged in unfair practices in particular during the re-election process.

“I have a family, children, a solid marriage; anyone who knows me can attest that I have always been a person who respects my colleagues and support staff. I will not allow those who wish to sully my reputation to make those attributions.

“I have never been reported for any sexual offence or sexual harassment at work. I have served for over 31 years and I have never been sanctioned for any conduct in the performance of my duties and I have been recognised by the judiciary for maintaining an impeccable disciplinary record,” he added to the deputies.

nation He tried to get additional reaction from the magistrate through the judiciary’s press office, but the office only forwarded the judge’s allegations to lawmakers.

Sanchez warned that in the coming days he would file a complaint against Mario Lucavado, accusing him of damaging his image with false information.

The vote is scheduled for next Wednesday (August 28), as Sánchez’s appointment expires on September 5. Sánchez was elected magistrate by secret ballot on September 5, 2016, and will serve as speaker of the Second Chamber in October 2022. To prevent his re-election, a qualified majority of the plenary session would be required to vote against him, which is 38 congressional votes.