Cordoba Prosecution: Essential Resource Needs
Staff and Material Requirements
What about additional staff? It is essential. I know that I am supported by the Delegate of Justice of Cordoba. The prosecution did not charge us; we are also dependent on officials in Andalusia. I have also requested staff for expansion.
And the material? Increasingly, the prosecution of Cordoba is very demanding regarding the computer systems provided to us. I know that there is progress, but when we detect faults—and they are detected—we would be better off. Improvements are significant. We use videoconferencing extensively with all courts in the province to save time and transportation costs.
Reforming Criminal Proceedings
What remains in that battery of demands? Criminal proceedings in Spain need a complete change. At this point, it is a real waste of resources. The coroner accumulates documentation and, when they believe their function is complete, forwards it to the prosecutor. The prosecutor then decides whether to indict or not. Sometimes, after the judge has worked on a file, the prosecutor says there is no data to support charges and closes the file. It turns out that we spent a lot of energy, time, and effort for nothing.
Prosecutor-Led Investigations
Is your bet that the Solicitor takes the reins of the investigation? Clear. With judicial control, of course. I do not think there is any objection to the prosecutor providing the evidence on which to base their case.
Future Goals: Economic Crimes Unit
Facing the coming years, leading the prosecution, what is proposed in the portfolio? Implement a good economic crimes unit, which the province needs. But that cannot be set up just any way; we need specific means.
The Prosecution of Cordoba: Leading, But Under-Resourced
Item 5: The prosecution of Cordoba is leading, but we need more resources.
The Fiscal Council has proposed your extension in office until 2014. How do you feel? Very satisfied, but until it is published in the BOE (Official State Gazette), a lot can happen. I’d love to finish my career in the Office of the Supreme Court or the Constitutional Court, and my ambition is not to exhaust this within five years.
Progress and Challenges
What progress have five years left behind? The tax rate per capita in Cordoba is well below virtually all the provinces of Andalusia, and indeed of many of Spain. So, if we want to give good service with less, we must adjust very well, and the puzzle pieces do not fit. Cordoba is one of the leading prosecutors in Spain due to the personal worth of its members.
A Broad Scope of Action
A complicated puzzle because prosecutors intervene in all criminal prosecutions, many civil cases, cases involving minors, the disabled, all matters relating to marital status in the public interest, and social, labor, or administrative litigation. That is, we have a tremendous field of action, to the point that many times the prosecutor is intended to be a sort of demigod to be everywhere.
The Need for More Prosecutors
Therefore, we need more prosecutors. Of course. In fact, this year we requested the establishment of Juvenile Court number 2 and 3. Last year, Criminal Court 5, Commercial Court 10, and Litigation Court 5 were created, and the prosecutor template was not expanded. Therefore, with this extension of two prosecutors, we are almost going to cover requirements.