Varela challenges Supreme Court to clean up image

PRESIDENT Juan Carlos Varela, threw down the gauntlet to Panama’s Supreme Court during his state of the nation speech before the National Assembly on Thursday July 1.

Following up on widespread criticism from civil society of recent judicial decisions  he  asked the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice and officials of the court not to tarnish the image of the justice system by giving favorable treatment to criminals who threaten the country’s image and even “threaten our own lives.”

Varela appeared Friday before the plenary of the National Assembly to present his report to the nation on the occasion of the second anniversary of taking office.

At another point in the speech, the president, who has been criticized for the seemingly  tortoise like pace of the administration, asked his ministers to communicate the achievements of his administration, and   emphasized that efforts will be made to finish promised works.

“We need to continue to strengthen the institutions of the country, but we must speed up projects for the Panamanian people,” he said.

At the meeting, Deputy León Rubén PRD was re-elected as president of the Assembly and Varela told the deputies that he remains willing to work with all of the to complete “a vision of the state.”