OFF THE CUFF: Panama Assembly rejects complaints against judges

TO NOBODY’S surprise, Panama’s   National Assembly’s Credentials Committee on Monday June 26  rejected  12 complaints against judges of the Supreme Court (CSJ).

The rejected petitions were related to alleged crimes of abuse of authority and violation of the duties of public servants, against public administration, corruption of officials, public faith and falsification of documents.

The deputies also archived files in which they were requested to investigate the expenses of travel abroad by judges with the court’s president Jose Ayu Prado leading the pack. In spite of growing concerns in civil society about the backlog in judicial decisions, the chief magistrate seems dedicated to accepting every invitation to an overseas event that lands on his desk.

In spite of growing concerns in civil society about the backlog in judicial decisions, the chief magistrate seems dedicated to accepting every invitation to an overseas event that lands on his desk.

A complaint against the full plenary of the CSJ, for acts violating the Political Constitution and the laws of the Republic, was also filed.

The Commission’s deputy chairman, Jorge Alberto Rosas, said that there was no hard evidence in any of the complaints to admit them.

On the same day the decision  was made  it was announced that t he law firm Rosas & Rosas in which Alberto Rosas is a partner,  is under investigation by the Public Ministry for alleged connections with the Odebrecht bribery scandal.