6. The petitioners say that six months after the Mr. Colindres was reinstated, the full Legislature asked for a Special Legislative Committee to be set up in order to investigate his conduct, stating that the Assembly believed that "the reasons that led to the removal of that magistrate still exist and have grown stronger." On March 25, 1998, the Legislative Assembly approved Legislative Agreement 281 establishing the Special Committee. 7. On April 20, 1998, Mr. Colindres filed a constitutional protection action with the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice asking for a preventive ruling that the establishment of the Special Committee violated his rights to a fair hearing and to freedom from double jeopardy, as well as the principle of the natural or pre-existing judge. The petitioners explained that the action was initially ruled admissible but, because of pressure exerted by the Legislative Assembly on the judges of the Court, on April 30, 1998, the Court reversed its admissibility ruling and dismissed the constitutional protection application, arguing that it was objectively and subjectively indeterminate. 8. As regards the proceedings before the Legislative Assembly, the petitioners say that on April 20, 1998, within the time frame stipulated for a hearing, Mr. Colindres filed with the Special Committee a brief asking it to rule that it had no jurisdiction to go on with its investigation. On April 21, 1998, the Special Committee requested from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal information to determine whether there was any new evidence supporting an expansion of the reasons given for Mr. Colindres' removal. That information was submitted by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on April 28, 1998. On May 21, 1998, the Special Committee delivered a report to the Legislative Assembly denying it had received information from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. In light of this concealment of the information, Mr. Colindres asked the Supreme Tribunal to resend the documents, this time to the Political Committee of the Legislative Assembly, along with a copy of the latter showing that the Legislative Committee had already received the information. 9. On May 26, 1998, Mr. Colindres filed with the Political Committee of the Legislative Assembly a brief reiterating his position that the Special Committee had no jurisdiction to guarantee a fair hearing. In that brief he also offered evidence and requested an oral hearing before the full Legislature to rebut the case against him. The petitioners assert that this brief was never added to the case file used against Mr. Colindres (number 118-167). 3