To Irma Basto Reyes, who served as second commissioner of the Family of Ibagué (Tolima), the Attorney General’s Office formulated a statement of charges for alleged irregularities in the handling of a domestic violence process.
It is being investigated whether the former official failed to transfer to the Prosecutor’s Office the process of domestic violence and possible related crimes initiated on July 17, 2023 before her office by Estefany Katherine Bocanegra Murillo, whom her former romantic partner murdered on February 24, 2024, using a firearm, which led to criminal proceedings for aggravated femicide and illegal possession of weapons against him.
The control entity emphasized that since this was a case of violence against a woman, as the first authority on family issues, it was up to the person under investigation to process it “with a gender perspective, since she was called to counteract any type of aggression against that population group.” ” and to prevent their actions or omissions from re-victimizing and confirming patterns of inequality or discrimination.
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For the Public Prosecutor’s Office Basto Reyes, with 13 years of experience in the position, could have deprived the criminal authority of the possibility of timely initiating the respective action for said crime and of establishing measures to guarantee and protect the fundamental rights to which the personal integrity and life of the victim.
The offense was provisionally classified as serious committed with serious negligence at this procedural stage. The file will be sent to the corresponding office to proceed with the disciplinary trial stage.
The entity revealed alarming figures that show the increase in cases of attacks against women, including more than 500 femicides reported in 2023 alone, the aggressors being mainly partners or ex-partners of the victims.
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