The president of the Santa Superior Court of Justice, Samuel Sánchez Melgarejo, met with the coordinator of the Ombudsman's Office in Chimbote, Roslyn Villanueva Ramírez, to strengthen coordination between justice system institutions on issues including electoral neutrality, the protection of children and adolescents, and the caseload burden on the courts.
Villanueva Ramírez was accompanied by the office's lawyer, Roxana Mendoza Rodríguez. The meeting took place at the office of the Court's Presidency, where both authorities reaffirmed their commitment to continue driving the Provincial Anti-Corruption Commission, a body led by the Court president that brings together leading authorities and representatives of public entities, civil society and the private sector.
The Defensoría del Pueblo is Peru's autonomous state institution responsible for defending citizens' constitutional and fundamental rights and overseeing the conduct of public administration. The Santa Superior Court of Justice is the regional judicial authority for the province of Santa, based in Chimbote in the Áncash region.
Electoral neutrality reminder planned
Given the current electoral context, the two institutions agreed that the commission's next session will remind public officials and civil servants of their duty to observe the principle of neutrality and to make proper use of state resources and public office, avoiding any use of their position for or against political organisations or figures.
Sánchez Melgarejo said the issue was a priority and announced he would convene a new meeting of the commission during the first half of August.
Concerns over police reports and caseloads
The Ombudsman's Office also raised concerns about observations detected in some police reports drawn up by the National Police of Peru, which it said could affect the proper handling of prosecutorial and judicial proceedings. Both institutions agreed the problem needed to be tackled jointly with the parties involved.
The meeting also covered the handling of especially sensitive cases and the scheduling of proceedings and hearings in some courts. The two sides agreed to strengthen coordination between justice system institutions to provide more timely and efficient attention to these matters.
New courts planned for Casma
Sánchez Melgarejo said that since taking office he has been pushing measures to address the high caseload registered by some courts. He reported that arrangements were well advanced to create and delimit a new Supraprovincial Collegiate Criminal Court, as well as a Sole-Judge Criminal Court for the province of Casma, initiatives intended to improve the administration of justice and reduce the risk of delays in case processing.
Both authorities agreed to maintain permanent coordination to drive joint action on the problems identified and strengthen the justice system for the benefit of the public.
