Argentina court reinstates investigation into former police chief Joaquín Guil

The Federal Chamber of Cassation has overturned the dismissal of former police commissioner Joaquín Guil, allowing a criminal investigation into crimes against humanity to proceed. Guil, the former Director of Security for the Salta Police, is accused of the unlawful deprivation of liberty and torture of a university student during the military dictatorship.

Judges Alejandro Slokar and Ángela Ledesma ruled that the previous decision by the Federal Chamber of Appeals of Salta to dismiss the charges lacked sufficient legal reasoning. The court emphasized that in cases involving crimes against humanity, a high degree of ‘negative certainty’ is required to terminate an investigation, a standard that had not been met.

The legal battle follows a series of appeals by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF). While a previous ruling had dismissed the charges, Prosecutor General Eduardo José Villalba successfully appealed to the higher court, arguing that the dismissal was premature and obstructed the judicial process.