Public Prosecutor's Office: What Alejandro Gullé said about the "rumors" of his retirement

Supreme Court Attorney General Alejandro Gullé took office in 2016 when Alfredo Cornejo was in his first months as governor of Mendoza, his first term. Today, at 70 years of age and with more than 40 years of service in the judiciary, the chief prosecutor could retire but has ruled out any plans to do so anytime soon.

It should be noted that the position of Attorney General, proposed by the Governor and voted on by the Senate, is one of the few lifelong positions in the provincial government and therefore should be retired so that it can be replaced.

The head of the Public Prosecutor's Office admitted that rumors about a possible resignation are circulating in the corridors of the Judicial Center, but he took pains to downplay them: "Sometimes they are self-serving rumors . Behind every chair in the Public Administration, there is always a line of people wanting to sit down," he said in an interview with Radio Jornada.

"I've always said that the day I wake up and say, 'I don't feel like working today,' the next day I'll ask for retirement . But not right now ," the official replied.

And he warned: " Be careful, I'm not ruling it out . I've been in the judiciary for 46 years, and I love what I do. But one has to understand that there are time limits in the profession, and one has to make way for young people who are growing and improving."

Gullé "absolutely" ruled out thinking about retiring this year, "unless something happens along the way," he added with his characteristic irony.

"I haven't even had conversations with any authority about it. While this is a matter of choice, it's also true that one is part of a security system and one must always be willing to update and receive feedback. To this day, I only receive support from other branches of government, " the Attorney General concluded.

Gullé attended the Bicameral Security Commission of the Provincial Legislature last week and announced the strengthening of four fiscal units for this year.

First, she reported the opening of the Prosecutor's Office for Gender-Based Violence and Crimes against Sexual Integrity in the First District , which will concentrate " everything related to this matter in a single office located in the Judicial Center ." This, she said, "will prevent re-victimization and the transfer of victims" from one office to another.

Among other points, he noted that there will be " new specialized units in the province ," since the Robbery and Theft Unit , which currently has 8, will be provided with one more Prosecutor, and will now have 9 .

It will also seek to expand the operational capacity of the Economic Crimes Unit, adding accounting professionals and an additional prosecutor specializing in cybercrime.

Gullé announced that they will add a new prosecutor in Malargüe, avoiding the need for citizens to travel to San Rafael in the event of a leave of absence, for example, of the prosecutor in charge; and the creation of another prosecutor's office in the environmental unit, for environmental crimes and animal abuse.

At the same time, he referred to the new Office of Inter-Institutional Cooperation, which "works very well" and is responsible for coordinating actions between the MPF and the Police, as well as with other agencies. He added that efforts will be made to redesign the Forensic Medical Corps, which relies on some outdated technology.

In general terms, he emphasized that there are thematic prosecutorial units—homicides, institutional violence, crimes against sexual integrity, cybercrimes, economic crimes, robbery and theft, etc.—and that "almost all of them work with police investigative units."

"I value the work of the police," he emphasized, as they have achieved "a very high level of efficiency, with 90% of cases resolved (homicide unit, for example) ." He also maintained that " last year, the robbery and theft unit resolved 2,596 cases, and 2,250 resulted in convictions ; it's a great achievement by the prosecutorial unit. They are our arms; we couldn't clarify the facts without the collaboration and intensive work of the units."

He also emphasized that "we have carried out massive operations, simultaneous raids, where we have made a significant number of arrests and seized firearms."

In closing, the head of the Public Prosecutor's Office praised the work of the prosecutors, saying, "It's very important. There are prosecutors who have eight to nine hearings a day ."