Staff from the Chapala Ministerio Público (MP or district attorney’s office) were back at the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) campus on Wednesday, April 16 for the second round in the newly instated bimonthly outreach program designed for expatriates.
Bilingual MP agent Omar Franco reports that the service is working well despite the relatively low turn-out of foreigners who have been victims of crime. So far the authorities have registered five new denuncias (complaints), attended four crime victims requesting progress reports on pending cases and advised one individual seeking consultation on a criminal matter.
Franco says he has also assisted various expats who have gone directly to the MP office in Chapala since his arrival on April 1.
The LCS outreach program was launched at the behest of Jalisco Attorney General Luis Carlos Nájera with the aim of providing foreigners with a comfort zone to deal with the gnarly process of filing criminal complaints and greater insight on how the justice system operates. The personalized service is being continued on a trial basis as long as there appears to be sufficient demand.
The next MP session at LCS is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Chapala MP office at Calle Juarez 573 is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.