Organized Crime Infiltrating Panama Justice and Politics

The arrest of a former official of the Judicial Branch – former assistant to a magistrate of the Supreme Court – has revealed how deeply organized crime has penetrated our political and justice institutions. The cooperation that the lawyer offered to organized drug trafficking groups should motivate the highest judicial authority to carry out an in-depth investigation of her staff, since, as we all know, a huge number of her employees have been appointed under the temporary umbrella, having a judicial career that is just beginning. Likewise, the cases in which this lawyer took part as a representative of the Judiciary should be audited, while her former boss should explain to the country the reasons that led her to fire her. This, not to mention that this former official obtained information from her former colleagues, which is also quite serious. For years, some magistrates preferred temporary staff and this has caused such damage that it will take years to repair. Some magistrates forgot that “citizens are the bosses to whom we have to render accounts and not to criminal groups…”, as indicated by the judge who ordered the arrest of the former official – LA PRENSA, Feb 13