Moral Pressure on chief justice to exit FP case mounts

TWO  FORMER  judges  and  have  joined the growing chorus calling on  obdurate Supreme Court Chief Justice José Ayú Prado to step down as the judge in the case involving former President Ricardo Martinelli and the   Financial Pacific (FP)  brokerage.

“In this case, it seems there are no grounds to force the judge to step down,” said former Supreme Court Judge Edgardo Molino Mola.. “However, he has to consider that option.”

The former judge said that voluntary action would send a positive message about the case to observers.

Ayú Prado’s role in the case has been questioned by various sectors due to the fact that he was appointed by Martinelli and because he investigated FP while he was attorney general. He faced allegations that he pressured Mayte Pelligrini, a key witness who linked Martinelli to the case to recant her testimony.

The plenum of the Supreme Court appointed him to act as judge in the case when it admitted the complaint earlier this month.

Alexis Ballesteros  said that Ayú Prado should step down for “moral and professional” reasons.

“He was a direct participant in this case,” he said. “There are grounds for him to make this decision. It is obvious that he owes Martinelli many favors.”

In 2014 Ballesteros filed a complaint against Ayú Prado for exerting pressure against him while he was hearing a case involving relatives of Martinelli.