on Friday announced the creation of the Special Team of Prosecutors against Corruption of Power (EFICCOP for its Spanish acronym) in her swearing-in speech during a ceremony held at the Public Ministry headquarters in Lima.
"We are an institutional body that fights against the corrupt and abusive use of power; therefore, I announce the creation of the Special Team of Prosecutors against Corruption of Power," the magistrate said.
As she specified, the purpose of the EFICCOP will be to properly organize the conducting of criminal investigations, eradicate conflict of jurisdiction in specialized prosecutorial subsystems, apply the principle of unity of investigation for complex cases, as well as provide efficiency, effectiveness, and prompt results.
Likewise, Benavides indicated that the Public Ministry will investigate any criminal act “regardless of whether it was committed by the most powerful or any ordinary citizen."
Furthermore, she affirmed that laws are the same for everyone, adding that no one is above them.
"All those whose actions are suspected of criminality have the duty to appear before justice and be held accountable for their actions," she noted.
In this sense, the
new Attorney General explained that the Public Ministry is an entity which has constitutional autonomy. Thus, it does not allow political, economic, or media pressure.
"In the age of information and communication, we cannot turn our backs on the right of citizens to be informed, and on the duty that we have to be accountable for our work," she underlined.
Moreover, Benavides indicated that her administration will be submitted to scrutiny by the press.
"We want our relationship with media outlets to be as transparent as possible, as we understand that they are of vital importance for the maintenance of the democratic system," she affirmed.
Finally, she announced that her administration will apply protocols under a gender approach on all criminal investigations so as to fight against gender violence in justice.
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