And now for something completely different

As a way to learn and then retain our Spanish language skilz, Mrs. Angus and I often watch telenovelas. One thing that always baffled me was, if someone, no matter how shady, filed a written charge against another person, that person went straight into custody. Presumed guilty. We were told by our Chilango friends that this portrayal didn't stretch the truth too far.

But now, thing may be changing as the Mexican Congress has voted to enshrine the presumption of innocence into the Constitution:

Mexican lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a sweeping judicial reform that would introduce public, oral trials and guarantee the presumption of innocence... President Felipe Calderón praised the measure, which would replace closed-door proceedings where judges rely on written evidence with U.S.-style open trials based on arguments presented by prosecutors and defense lawyers.

"Changing from an inquisitorial system, like the one Mexico has today, to an adversarial system based on oral trials, as are used in the American justice system, will provide much greater transparency, much more agility in the administration of justice," Calderón told a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce.

Interesting. Maybe Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons should get their cases moved south of the border!