‘Dead fugitive’ case: judges protest colleagues suspended without pay

Santo Domingo.- In a simultaneous demonstration nationwide, the judges are protesting against the Judiciary for they say is their suspension without pay when charged with violations, without previously confirming the allegations.

They note that they don’t oppose being investigating, but affirm that “the problem is being suspend and discredited,” without first verifying the violations they’re accused of.

A spokesperson for the group of judges cited the case of their colleague in San Francisco (center), Aleyda Jiménez, recently suspended without pay.

He called it “an outrage” because Jiménez has been on the bench for 47 years during which her rulings have never been challenged.

Jiménez was suspended for granting house arrest for murder convict and “dead” fugitive Pedro A. Castillo “Quirinito.”  He said the judge acted in accordance with the evidence presented.

“The Judiciary has resorted on numerous occasions to the suspension of judges indefinitely and without pay without issuing a decision containing the reasons for these suspensions without the realization and conclusion of a disciplinary process and in many cases without even initiating an investigation.”

“Judicial independence is not a guarantee of the judge, it is not a privilege of the members of the judiciary, it is a right of all citizens of the social conglomerate who in the exercise of their rights in legitimate interests should receive effective guardianships,” the judge said.