Overview
- On Nov. 18, the Supreme Court’s plenary fell short of the six votes needed for a general declaration of unconstitutionality on the 2020 change, with a proposal by Minister Giovanni Figueroa blocked by four ministers led by Lenia Batres.
- The 2020 reform eliminated a statutory floor of 0.014% of prior-year programmable spending for the victims’ fund and tied financing to asset sales managed by the Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People.
- More than 200–250 human-rights groups and victim collectives condemned the outcome as a regression and argued the Court improperly revisited an issue the First Chamber had already declared unconstitutional in 2024.
- Centro Prodh reported sustained underfunding at the Executive Commission for Attention to Victims, citing 658 million pesos in 2025 versus an estimated 909 million needed and a 2026 projection of 692 million versus at least 913 million, averaging 29% below earlier guaranteed levels.
- Some ministers said Congress’s decision should stand and asserted there are no victims complaining of unmet reparations, while other justices characterized the reform as regressive for leaving support subject to uncertain revenue.