Mayor’s salary garnisheed following criminal libel case

The woes of Panama’s mayor continue to mount, with a monthly garnishee of 15 % of his pay announced by a civil court judge.
The order was made against , Bosco Vallarino in a suit for criminal libel and insult to the detriment of former City Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro. His pay and allowances come to $7,000 a month.
A court official went to the municipal treasury to ensure the hold back on Vallarino’s pay.
Things could get worse. This case was one of the four complaints lodged by lawyers against the mayor. They were filed following a series of statements he made during thee recent election campaign, in which he stated that during the administration of Navarro there had been acts of corruption.
Reports said that following Vallarino’s victory at the polls the former mayor Navarro offered to withdraw the complaints if the statements were retracted but the new mayor refused.
Rosendo Rivera lawyer, representing Navarro, argued that Vallarino had attacked the honor of his client. Rivera asked for financial compensation for the damages caused to his client.
The lawsuits for slander and libel filed against Vallarino included Vallarino calling Navarro A “narcomayor”.
In another case in an interview published in a local newspaper, Vallarino described Nvarro as "charismatic, cunning and corrupt."
The lawyers of Mayor Bosco Vallarino have not reacted to the court’s decision.
Meanwhile the mayor has twice failed to show up for appointments with corruption prosecutors, to answer questions about his approval of a check for his wife to travel to Taiwan. She is not a public servant, and has not been elected to office.
He is also pressing ahead with plans to construct a Christmas village on the Conta Costera (Coastal Strip) while the transactions involving the issuing of no-bid contracts are under investigation.