Comptroller’s Office detects shortcomings in the delivery of grace pensions – La Discusión 2024-02-21 14:42:37

The Comptroller General of the Republic identified deficiencies in the process of granting grace pensions to people affected in demonstrations since October 2019, in the so-called social outbreak.

The study concluded that 19 files of compensation beneficiaries, sent by the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH), did not present adequate medical history.

“Or, the endorsements corresponded to poorly readable medical certificates, without a diagnosis, with contradictory records regarding the damage or with a date prior to October 2019,” which might result in an erroneous determination of the damage. Therefore, the Undersecretary of the Interior must verify the existence of complementary background information within 60 business days.

Likewise, 58 of the 419 beneficiaries “have criminal records for convictions, resulting in fines, prison and imprisonment, including violent crimes,” according to the Comptroller’s Office.

Some have “more than 10 convictions for various types of criminal offenses, among which are crimes of fraud, drug trafficking and micro-trafficking, production of child pornographic material, sexual abuse, robbery with violence, homicide, injuries in the context of domestic violence, among others. others”.

The controlling body stated that if it had “timely received the information reported, it might have been useful to evaluate both the approval of the benefit and the conditions for granting it.”

For all this, within a period of 30 business days, the Undersecretary of the Interior must send to the agency “the updated and duly formalized procedure that includes a mandatory review of the criminal records of applicants for a grace pension.”

The document also indicates that it is the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH) that is in charge of accrediting the status of human rights victim in the process of granting grace pensions for the outbreak.

And it states that the existence of other validation instances has not been verified to “confirm or accredit with various instances the information sent by the INDH, this being the only source of background to evaluate the cases, which can influence an erroneous determination of the damage, with the consequent risk that a pension will be granted for an amount and/or term that does not correspond.”