Legal scrutiny faces prosecutors and magistrates in Paraguay and Mexico

In Paraguay, assistant prosecutor Soledad Machuca has submitted a note to the Jury for the Impeachment of Magistrates (JEM) justifying why an initial 2020 complaint against former senator Hernán Rivas did not proceed. Machuca argued that the complaint filed by attorney Federico Campos López Moreira lacked the formal requirements necessary to open a criminal investigation, citing insufficient evidence and a lack of detailed factual descriptions as required by Article 285 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Rivas was eventually investigated and convicted under a separate complaint filed years later.

In Mexico, Pedro Rodríguez Chandoquí, a magistrate of the Federal Tribunal of Administrative Justice (TFJA), is facing criminal proceedings for aggravated sexual assault against a former law student. Despite the allegations, the TFJA's Governing and Administration Board unanimously voted to allow Rodríguez Chandoquí to return to his duties while an internal inquiry is conducted. This decision follows a period of leave requested by the magistrate, amid criticisms regarding the slow pace of the judicial process in the case.