Authorities of the City of Buenos Aires make progress in the creation of a Genetic Data Bank for Criminal Investigations

Attorney General Juan Bautista Mahiques and the Public Prosecutor’s Office are seeking to create a genetic data bank for criminal investigations in the City of Buenos Aires.

In this regard, federal prosecutor Juan Bautista Mahiques signed a letter of understanding with the U.S. consulting firm Gordon Thomas Honeywell Government Relations (GTH) to advance in the creation of a Genetic Data Bank and forensic genetics in the City of Buenos Aires.

«A genetic database is essential to obtain evidence and locate those responsible for crimes,» said Mahiques and recalled that Mendoza already has a Provincial Registry of Genetic Fingerprints, which was created in 2016 and is digital: «It is yielding excellent results.» «We believe that it would be very important for the City of Buenos Aires to also advance in this sense, so that justice can clarify criminal acts». Mahinques added.

Based on this understanding, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the City would be in a position to move towards the creation of a Genetics Laboratory within the Judicial Investigations Corps (CIJ), which already has three forensic laboratories specialized in toxicological, computer and ballistic analysis.

In April of this year, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich sent four bills to Congress aimed at combating organized crime. One of them consists of expanding the scope of the current National Registry of Genetic Data related to Crimes against Sexual Integrity, which operates under the Ministry of Justice. It also proposes the creation of the National Registry of Genetic Data related to criminal investigation controlled by the Ministry of Security.