Shifting sands in ruling party caucus after attack on deputy

Former president Ricardo  Martinelli’s  team  of lawyers been out of the headlines since the cornavirus pandemic struck Panama but some of them re-appeared on Thursday, April 23 to get involved  in a battle   involving controversial PRD deputy  Jairo Bolota Salazar , who has  been denounced for alleged gender violence against  fellow caucus member  Kayra Harding

The lawyers from the Martinelli legal team will be the defenders of the PRD deputy. Martinelli founded and led the Democratic Change party created to further his political ambitions, and which outed the PRD from power when he became president.

Lawyer Ronier Ortiz , told La Prensa  that Alejandro Pérez, Jéssica Canto and Shirley Castañeda will join him. And the three posed for a photo with Salazar and PRD caucus member  Zulay Rodríguez , vice president of the Assembly.

“Come as you like, you and Martinelli’s lawyers,”  said Harding in the legislative plenary.

Ortiz announced that among the actions they will take, will be criminally prosecuted Harding and Jenia Nenzen , presenter of the newscast Telemetro Reporta .

Harding, for calling his client “malicious”, and Nenzen, for her statements, in the evening newscast, when she presented the news of Salazar’s attack on Harding and a deputy Mariano López.

The journalist described the incident as  “shameful” and that the character has given “extensive” demonstrations of “intolerance, disrespect and bad manners.” She e never mentioned Salazar by name or nickname.

Supreme Court judge, Olmedo Arrocha, will be in charge of processing the complaint filed by Deputy

Harding accuses Salazar of having attacked her on Wednesday, during a meeting of the PRD caucus, where various topics related to the coronavirus pandemic and modifications to the Assembly’s internal regulations were discussed.