24. On April 15, 1998, the PDC deputies presented and expanded motion to the Special Committee.20 They said that bearing in mind that it had been the PDC that nominated him as a TSE judge, the "conduct displayed by Mr. Colindres violates the constitutional principle according to which the three political parties or legal coalitions that obtained the greatest number of votes in the presidential election.”21 [Tr: sic; the original Spanish is an incomplete sentence] The deputies referred to a series of situations in which Mr. Colindres purportedly intervened in PDC affairs.22 25. On April 15, 1998, the Special Committee decided to "grant a hearing in three days” to Judge Colindres.23 On April 20, 1998, Mr. Colindres presented a brief to the Special Committee, questioning its powers in said proceeding and saying that the charges brought against him would have to be proved and that he should have the real possibility of defending himself.24 On April 21, 1998, the Special Committee took the hearing as concluded and requested a variety of information from the TSE.25 The TSE sent that information on April 28, 1998.26 26. On May 21, 1998, the Committee Special submitted its report to the Political Committee27 for consideration and said that it had not received the documentation requested from the TSE.28 In response to a request from Judge Colindres, on May 25, 1998, the TSE sent the Political Committee the information that it 20 Brief of the deputies petitioning dismissal to the committee set up, April 15, 1998, p. 125, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, p. 128, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 21 Brief of the deputies petitioning dismissal to the committee set up, April 15, 1998, p. 125, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, p. 128, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 22 Among other arguments, the deputies said that Judge Colindres had favored one of the groups in the PDC in which his wife and he had interests. The deputies said that Judge Colindres had breached the eligibility requirements for holding the position of judge, since he had allegedly failed to act in a manner becoming of a judge, given that in his supposed intervention in the problems of the PDC he had sought "clearly and brazenly to favor his wife,” who, according to those deputies, belonged to a group that aimed to supplant the legally constituted officers of the political institution, when the appropriate behavior for any judge would have been to recuse themselves so as not to undermine the impartiality and fairness that should characterize the office of a judge.” They said that another aspect that further underscored the "proven immorality of Mr. Colindres" was the fact that “he has used TSE personnel (such as Carlos Ernesto Claramount who served as an electoral registrar) and currently Mr. Jaime Magaña Figueroa, who holds the position of advisor to the judge on the technical committee of the TSE).” [Tr: sic; no opening parenthesis in the Spanish] According to the deputies, those individuals were part of the group that “sought criminally to supplant the party's legally recognized officers.” Brief of the deputies petitioning dismissal to the committee set up, April 15, 1998, pp. 125 and 126, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, p. 128, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 23Pronouncement of the Special Committee, p. 127, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, p. 128, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 24 Brief of Mr. Eduardo Benjamín Colindres addressed to the Special Committee on April 20, 1998, p. 129v, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 67 Brief of the Special Committee dated April 21, 1998, pp. 130-131, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 26Brief of the TSE to the members of the Political Committee, dated May 25, 1998, p. 143, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, p. 128, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 27 Brief from Mr. Eduardo Benjamín Colindres to the Political Committee dated May 26, 1998, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, p. 143, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 28Report of the Special Committee of May 21, 1998, in relation to file 1058-3-98, p. 142, enclosed with the certification issued by the Legislative Assembly for files 1157-4-98 and 1058-3-98, p. 128, Annex 9 to the petitioner's initial petition of May 4, 2000 (received on that same date). 6