Lawyers condemn move to replace jail time with teaching post

Sentenced  four months ago to  five years jail time  for laundering money from Odebrecht bribes  , engineer Raúl Alberto de Saint Malo García, brother of former Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo, has not spent a day behind bars and is now awaiting a hearing to decide if his penalty can be changed to  “community work” -defined in his request as teaching in a maritime museum.

Prosecutor Tania Sterling, is expected to oppose the replacement of the sentence requested by the defense.

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Already the Compliance Judge, Angeline Hernández denied Saint Malo, the request for the replacement of the sentence to serve as a teacher at the Maritime University of Panama (UMIP).

Lawyer and journalist Maribel Cuervo de Paredes said that the “defense of the confessed corrupt insists on finding a way to teach in college and avoid going to jail. Local corruption undressed the number of cowards who with no manhood steal from the State, but do not have enough courage to pay for their crimes.”

Bad example Law professor Miguel Antonio Bernal and other lawyers have stated that given the seriousness of the fact that Raúl de Saint Malo,  was investigated and received the sentence of five years in prison, replacing that penalty with classes in a university, does not send the correct message to the young students.

Bernal also mentioned equality for all citizens. “If this change of Saint Malo is granted, the same benefit should be given to the rest of those in prisons for similar crimes,” he warned.