Overview
- The Supreme Court’s Permanent Criminal Chamber declared Silvia Monteza’s appeal unfounded, keeping in place Judge Juan Carlos Checkley’s April 21, 2025 order.
- Prosecutors may access bank data from July 21, 2021 through December 31, 2022 to test for irregular movements linked to alleged influence peddling and criminal organization.
- The court held that parliamentary status does not block investigation and that prior congressional authorization was not required for this evidentiary measure.
- Justices emphasized the step is investigative rather than punitive and found it necessary, suitable, and proportionate based on reasonable suspicion.
- The authorization covers 13 lawmakers, including Monteza, and former production minister Jorge Prado, and the case remains in the investigative stage after a 2025 constitutional complaint.