OPINION: Legalizing Martinelli clique impunity
La Prensa, October 8
AFTER LEARNING the embarrassing salvation ruling that annuls the investigation for money laundering in which prominent members of the “zero circle” of former President Martinelli were involved, we need to know how the two judges justify a blatant act of impunity, with which to further tarnish the purulent Panamanian justice system.
In addition to citing procedural faults, Judge Luis Mario Carrasco argues that the judgment annulling the investigation has prevented an investigation.
According to Carrasco, although judges can intervene during the research phase to guarantee the rights of the parties, what they cannot do is “abruptly interrupting prerogatives of the prosecutor.”
The other fundamental reason is that the sentencing agreement that was signed with the ex-judge Moncada Luna is strictly personal and this “neither takes away past events or prevents the exercise of criminal action against those others who had been involved” .
All this reveals is that this decision to absolve the “zero circle” is nothing more than legalized impunity.
