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Mariel Suarez, a judge from Chubut province of Argentina, was allegedly caught kissing a prison inmate named Christian Mai Bustos inside a jail in the Argentinian city of Trelew.
The controversial moment was caught on camera and showed the judge leaning towards the convicted killer. On December 29, 2021, the Superior Court of Justice confirmed that they are taking disciplinary action against the judge for “inadequate behavior”.
The latest controversy occurred nearly a week after Bustos was sentenced to life imprisonment for fatally shooting police officer Leandro Roberts in 2009. Bustos was dubbed a “highly dangerous criminal” for killing the officer after attempting to arrest the defendant for escaping prison.
The fugitive was already wanted for murdering his baby stepson by beating him to death at the time. During the attempted detention, the shooter’s brother also died in a gunfight with police authorities.
As per court documents, Mariel Suarez was the only judge who voted for Christian Bustos’ reduced sentence during the latest hearing. Her plea was later overturned, and the murderer was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment last week.
Everything to know about Mariel Suarez
The criminal judge is from Comodoro Rivadavia in the Chubut province of southern Argentina. She recently made news after facing disciplinary action for allegedly kissing a convicted felon inside an Argentinean Provincial Penitentiary Institute.
According to Market Research Telecast, the magistrate is a strong advocate of gender parity within the justice system. In an August 2020 interview with Medium Blue, the judge spoke about the need for women in the Superior Court of Justice of Chubut:
“Women who live in the province need to be represented by a justice with a feminine bearing. It has to do with the right to equality, possibility [sic].“
Mariel Suarez also mentioned that the Superior Court of Justice should maintain gender equality in the higher positions:
“There must be at least three women because there are six members of the Superior Court of Justice. The rest of the instances except the STJ is occupied by more than 50% of women. We have trained, we had to demonstrate our capabilities, and we have proven it. In the higher instance, we have not been allowed to occupy any position. The woman has to integrate all the instances of all the society.”
Apart from vocally supporting gender equality, she has also spoken in favor of the Code of Citizen Coexistence in Chubut:
“Taking care of cars without authorization is a crime in Chubut, but cleaning the windows or washing the car is not. If it is not written in the Code, no other conduct can be judged or punished.”
Mariel Suarez also specializes in cybercrime and cybersecurity, reportedly holding a triple master’s degree in cybercrime, cybersecurity, and computer forensic expertise. The magistrate often uses social media to provide information on cybersafety.
Mariel Suarez addresses prison inmate video controversy
The controversial footage featuring Judge Mariel Suarez and convicted felon Christian Mai Bustos went viral immediately after release. The judge was indicted by the Superior Court of Justice for her alleged inappropriate behavior:
"From the information communicated by the IPP, it appears that the judge has engaged in inappropriate conduct for a magistrate. The proceedings are aimed at elucidating the circumstances of the meeting between a judge and a convicted person, the tenor of the meeting, its duration, and its characteristics, which could imply violations of the Public Ethics Law and/or the General Internal Regulations of the Judiciary."
However, Mariel Suarez denied the allegations made about the prisoner. The judge mentioned she had no personal relationship with the inmate and met him to write a book on his story:
"I have no sentimental relationship with this person, I have no personal ties. I am making a book with this person because of his story, and it is the first one I am going to write. I will make a statement and show the documents so that they can see that the statement is real."
The judge also stated that she met the prisoner for a personal interview as part of her “investigative journalism” project:
“It was the first time I had seen him, and we had talked about it [the sentencing]. I bumped into him, told him I was going to arrange an interview with him, and told him I was going to write a book. He told me personal things and showed me his tattoos. I want to do a piece of investigative journalism. He was very happy with the project because, after many years, he could tell what happened.”
The Superior Court of Justice of Chubut has confirmed that it will investigate the nature and circumstances of the meeting between the judge and the criminal. It is not known if Mariel Suarez will face possible sanctions for her actions in the days to come.
