Supreme Court judge facing criminal charges suspended

PANAMA Supreme Court Justice Alejandro Moncada Luna has been suspended while he faces criminal charges of unjustified enrichment, money laundering, corruption of public office and falsification of public documents..

The order came from The National Assembly’s Subcommittee of Guarantees on Monday October 20.
He has also been forbidden from leaving the country and is required to remain at his residence.
Last week, the subcommittee issued a seizure order for the two apartments in Coco del Mar that is at the center of the case reports La Prensa.
Moncada Luna will be replaced by his alternate, Abel Zamorano.
The decision was issued by judges Kaytleen Levy, Zulay Rodrí¬guez and Ana Matilde Gómez.
Moncada Luna’s lawyer, Sidney Sittón, appealed the precautionary measures of detention, saying they restrict the freedom of his client.
“They are taking it to an extreme of helplessness,” he said.
The judges determined that the application was inadmissible.
Prosecutor Pedro Miguel González requested a search of the offices of Moncada Luna, but the request was denied.
To read a summary of the events leading up to Monday’s decision go to:
http://newsroompanama.com/columns/the-cuff/off-the-cuff-a-primer-for-supreme-court-judge-scandal