During the impeachment hearing in the National Congress, the magistrate of the Electoral Justice Tribunal (TJE), Mario Morazanstated that the process against him responds to political interests and that he seeks to remove officials who, according to him, have not submitted to external pressure.
“This is a politicized trial to remove from the scene the officials who did not submit,” he said.
Morazán questioned the legality of the procedure by pointing out that the impeachment regulations would be contrary to resolutions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR). In addition, he described the questions asked by the investigative commission as “biased” and requested that his objections be recorded in the minutes.
In relation to his participation in sessions of the TJEthe suspended magistrate explained that until January 7, the plenary session had authorized meetings via Zoom, but that subsequently there was no current regulatory framework that enabled that mechanism. He assured that his non-attendance at some sessions responded to those administrative conditions.
Regarding key decisions of the court, Morazán indicated that he did not participate in the sentence of the Calix case and Valle because he was not summoned. He also maintained that on other occasions he did not attend due to internal situations in the plenary session, including recusal processes involving the presidency of the electoral body.
The suspended judge also reacted to allegations about the deceased former official Miriam Barahonaregretting what he described as an attempt to exploit his image to generate hatred against him. However, he stated that, in his opinion, the official was not in optimal physical and mental condition to perform the position.
Political questions also arose during the hearing, including references to the 2009 coup d’état and to President Xiomara Castro. In this context, Morazán assured that during the government he had no contact with the president nor did he receive instructions from her.
The magistrate added that his actions have been strictly in accordance with the law and warned that, in the event of a possible dismissal, international bodies could consider the process as a “legal aberration.”
In the midst of the tense debate, there was also an exchange with the deputy Kilvett Bertrandafter a medal awarded by President Xiomara Castro in recognition of her participation in the struggle after the 2009 coup was mentioned, raising questions about her independence.
Morazán concluded by pointing out that he did not lend himself, in his words, to irregularities in the electoral process and attributed the accusations against him to alleged political interference within the Electoral Justice Tribunal.
