Overview
- Lawmakers on the Constitution Committee approved the constitutional reform by 20 votes with 2 abstentions, extending the current 48-hour limit to a maximum of 15 days in cases of flagrancy for extortion and sicariato.
- The measure is not in force and must be debated and ratified by the plenary and then passed again in a second legislature before possible promulgation in 2026.
- The text adds market-securities secrecy to the financial confidences that can be lifted, alongside bank and tax secrecy, by a judge or upon requests from the Prosecutor General, a congressional inquiry, the Comptroller, or the SBS.
- Supporters, led by committee chair Arturo Alegría, argue the longer window is needed to investigate sophisticated criminal networks and say institutions such as the Ombudsman’s Office, the Judiciary, and the Prosecutor’s Office back the change.
- The draft requires police to notify the Prosecutor’s Office and the competent judge during detention, and human-rights experts warn that strict judicial control will be essential to prevent abuses and due-process violations.