Mayor wins bill boards court battle

THE  SUPREME Court   has ruled in favor of Panama  Mayor Jose Isabel Blandon in his fight to clean up some of the city’s visual pollution produced by adverting billboards.

The court ruled  against  a lawsuit filed by the company Posters and Billboards of Panama.

The Supreme Court noted that the prohibition of placing advertising in vacant lots or abandoned buildings is legal.
Companies ignoring the ban can be fined up to $10,000 for not cleaning vacant lots and abandoned houses. It is prohibited to place advertising on walls or fences of these properties. Fines had been issued to 89 owners of vacant lots for breaking law
A report by the Attorney General for Management notes that the regulation of public space for advertising is the responsibility of the Municipal Council and the Mayor of Panama.
As a result of this ruling, the Court decided that the mayor is legally empowered to sanction the norm and that it continue in force.
The ruling was signed by judges Abel Augusto Zamorano, Cecilio Cedalise and Luis Ramon Fabrega, and the secretary Katia Rosas.