Lawyer witness alleges death threats in Supreme Court scandal

The widening scandal involving a judge of Panama’s Supreme Court, took a bizarre turn on Monday, April 3 when a lawyer, who is a key witness, reported receiving death threats from a  close friend of the judge.

Sidney Sitton,  is one of the key witnesses  in a complaint against Judge  Jose Abel Almengor for alleged conspiracy against former Attorney General  Ana Matilde Gomez, and alleged corruption within the  Supreme Court.

Appearing on  Telemetro, the attorney released a recording left on his cell phone voice mail, saying: "I have the support of all my friends  'to do what has to be done … it is over.”

According to Sitton, the male voice that warned him  to look out day and night, and could cost him his life   was Blas Velásquez Gordillo, a friend of Almengor. The judge was a personal selection of President Ricardo Martinelli who, so far, has distanced himself from the controversy. It has already led to the resignation of another key Martinelli appointment, Italo Antinori, who  was picked to head a committee overseeing constitutional rwform, and also  named in the original accusations was the  stand in Attorney General  Guisspei Bonissi, who resigned when  narco trafficking influence was discovered in the office under his control; He had been appointed to replace Gomes, whop was later tried and convicted by the Supreme Court, for  tapping the cell phone of a prosecutor, under investigation for taking bribes.