In the Case of ‘Buses with Your Face on Them’: Mayor of Arraiján Stefany Peñalba is Reported to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office
Stefany Peñalba, mayor of Arraiján, showcased the transformation on her social media, where her face on buses has been replaced by a smiley face emoji.
A criminal complaint against the mayor of Arraiján, Stefany Peñalba pictured below, for the alleged use of public funds to promote her image on municipal buses, was filed this Monday May 4, before the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. “It is a public fact that came out in different media outlets, where it was openly demonstrated through pictures and videos that the label they mention included her image (Stefany Peñalba, mayor of Arraiján’s face) along with that of other students. Then she erased her face before the Electoral Prosecutor’s Office arrived,” the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office explained.
SENNIAF Inspects the Arraiján Mayor’s Office Below for the Use of Images of Minors on Official Buses
SENNIAF will proceed with the preparation of a detailed report to initiate follow-up meetings after the findings at the Arraiján Mayor’s Office. The National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Families (SENNIAF) has launched a formal investigation in the Arraiján Mayor’s Office, following complaints about the misuse of images of minors in official student transport vehicles and on social media. The inspection seeks to determine if there is a violation of rights, given that there is no clarity on the necessary authorizations for the dissemination of these faces.
During the investigation, it was confirmed that the stickers with the images of the minors were removed from the buses during the past weekend. Alexander Castrellón, head of Legal Advice at SENNIAF, confirmed that the Mayor’s Office has not presented the permits signed by the parents or legal guardians for the use of the photographs. The investigation extends to digital publications where the identity of the students was also exposed without the corresponding data protection protocol. SENNIAF will proceed with the preparation of a detailed report to initiate follow-up meetings. Due to the nature of the case, the intervention of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Public Prosecutor’s Office is not ruled out.
