Chilean President Gabriel Boric nominated this Wednesday the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption and Legal Unit, Marta Herrera, for national prosecutor for the next eight years, the Ministry of Justice reported in a statement.
"She is a professional with a long and impeccable career in the institution: with more than 21 years of work, she knows the Prosecutor’s Office inside out"said the Minister of Justice, Marcela RÃos.
"She is also a professional who presented a plan before the Supreme Court that stands out for strengthening the fight against corruption, something very important to us and has also placed an emphasis on crime"added the minister.
Herrera’s appointment takes place after the previous candidate proposed by the Executive, José Morales, chief deputy prosecutor of the Santiago Norte Local Prosecutor’s Office, did not obtain sufficient support in the Senate, which has the last word to grant the position.
Herrera is a lawyer from the University of Chile, a master’s degree in law with a specialization in oral litigation from the California Western School of Law in the United States and a specialization in sexual assault.
During her career, she served as head of the Legal Advice Unit of the Western Metropolitan Regional Prosecutor’s Office, attorney secretary of the General Council of the Public Ministry, head of the Anti-Corruption Unit and spokesperson for the Public Ministry, among others.
He was also a member of the Specialized Unit for Sexual and Violent Crimes of the National Prosecutor’s Office.
Now its final approval is in the hands of the Senate, where the candidate must be supported by at least 33 senators (two thirds of the House) to avoid a repeat of what happened with Morales, who became the first candidate for national prosecutor nominated by the president rejected by the senate.
"We hope to have the support of the Senate in this important decision because the Prosecutor’s Office is vital to combat crime, but it is also a key institution for the State and for democracy."Rios said.
After the rejection of Morales, the Supreme Court proposed again five candidates for the Executive, replacing the name of Morales and that of the other candidate who discarded his candidacy. Of these, Boric chose Herrera, who got nine Supreme Court votes.
The national prosecutor is the head of the Chilean Public Prosecutor’s Office and issues general instructions for compliance with the investigative proceedings, in addition to the exercise of criminal proceedings and the protection of witnesses and victims.