The Importance of the National Prosecutor

El Mostrador, December 13, 2022

In current times, and considering what is happening in Chile, it is more than evident that it matters who occupies the position of National Prosecutor. This was something that the Editorial of November 21 of this same outlet already indicated, but apparently neither the Supreme Court, nor the President of the Republic, nor the Senate have wanted to understand.

To begin with, we must ask ourselves what we expect from the person who will be appointed. Perhaps this is one of the keys to the problem. Do we want someone whose main role is the administrative direction of the Public Ministry and to be the head of the Regional Prosecutors, or do we want someone who will establish and develop the national strategy against the insecurity that Chileans experience, which is evident daily in the press or in the surveys published weekly?

If we want a head of the Regional Prosecutors, then the choice is very simple, and it suffices to consider the five candidates that the Supreme Court has at its disposal. If we want a more powerful National Prosecutor with the capacity to establish a strategy aimed at mitigating or eliminating the negative effects of excessive illegal immigration, drug trafficking, insurgent violence in the Southern Macrozone, or the insecurity perceived throughout Chile, I fear that the choice may not be so obvious, as we would be looking for the person who must address the number one priority of those living in Chile, and who, apparently, may not be one of the five competing for the position.

If this Government or previous ones had not renounced their responsibility for national security and, in particular, for the internal security of the Republic, everything would be easier. However, since they decided to pass the buck and not assume their responsibility on the matter, shifting it to the Public Ministry, they declare that the ills of Chile are of a criminal nature. Therefore, the person leading this organization is not irrelevant and must possess the characteristics and experience that the position demands.

I hope that the trilogy composed of the Supreme Court, the Presidency of the Republic, and the Senate clearly understands the job description of the National Prosecutor, what is expected of him or her, and the importance of this appointment in present-day Chile. An eventual poor appointment is something we will have to live with for eight years, an eternity and a luxury we cannot afford, especially for those suffering the impacts of a Public Ministry that has not resolved the security issues facing Chileans.

Richard Kouyoumdjian
Vice President of AthenaLab

Source: El Mostrador