The Ethics Council of the Lima Bar Association will evaluate the potential suspension of five National Board of Justice members during a Wednesday hearing. The session on Wednesday, August 12, at 5:00 p.m., will determine whether to approve a preliminary injunction regarding alleged ethical violations in the exercise of their profession.
The legal measure was requested by the Institute for Legal Defense and the National Human Rights Coordinator against lawyers Gino Ríos Patio, María Teresa Cabrera, Jaime de la Puente, Germán Serkovic Gonzáles, and Cayo Galindo Sandoval.
Grounds for the complaint
The complaint was submitted on July 4 and admitted for processing on October 30, 2025. It rests on three actions that took place in July of last year.
First, the lawyers reportedly breached the law by demanding the reinstatement of Patricia Benavides as National Attorney General while Delia Espinoza was serving in that position. Second, they allegedly violated the law and promoted actions of a de facto government by asking the General Commander of the National Police to deploy public force. Third, they were accused of failing to fulfill the ethical duty of transparency.
Impact on the legal profession
According to the accusation, these actions breached rules in the Code of Ethics concerning obedience to the law, probity, and integrity. The National Human Rights Coordinator stated that the case was paradigmatic because of the severity of the acts, which also prompted a statement from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The human rights group added in a statement that such unconstitutional actions cause serious harm to public trust and the legitimacy of the legal profession. It said the conduct also undermines the defense of the legal and democratic system that lawyers are expected to strengthen.
