Senator Esperanza Martínez stated that the case of former senator Hernán Rivas, accused of using a fake law degree, is just the tip of the iceberg. In an interview, she revealed that there would be about 2,500 suspected university degrees and warned of a possible corruption network entrenched in public and private institutions.
Martínez proposed the creation of a special investigative commission in the Senate to look into the issuance, sale, and use of irregular academic documents. However, sectors of the ruling party rejected the initiative, arguing that there are already bodies with the authority to investigate. The opposition sees in the resistance a fear of exposing a broader structure.
The scandal gained momentum after the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice annulled the definitive dismissal of Rivas and voided the statute of limitations that favored him. The former Colorado Party cartista senator will now face a public oral trial. He had chaired the Jury for the Impeachment of Magistrates (JEM), the body that decides on the careers of judges and prosecutors, which casts suspicion on decisions made by him.
The case also reignited allegations against former deputy Orlando Arévalo, another former president of the JEM, whose law degree has again been questioned. The recurrence of cases involving JEM members reveals a systemic problem: those who should oversee magistrates have had their own credentials called into doubt.
The Sudamericana University was mentioned as one of the focuses of the investigation, for allegedly having issued a large number of degrees of dubious legitimacy. Senator Martínez insists that the problem is not administrative, but rather a corruption scheme with political, judicial, and academic ramifications.