Panama justice slammed in US human rights report

The legal process that exonerated former President Ricardo Martinelli of illegal wiretapping in a second trial on November 9 a decision condemned by many prominent members of civil society was highlighted in the 2021 Human Rights Report of the United States Department of State regarding Panama.

 It alluded to the lack of criminal convictions in corruption cases which, according to the document, supports the widespread public opinion that the judicial system is susceptible to corrupting influences both internal and external, and that most of the allegations of manipulation in the justice system are related to the influence of political actors and.

In terms of corruption and lack of transparency, it was concluded that this continues to be a serious problem in the Executive, Judicial and Legislative bodies, as well as in the security forces.

In this sense, some judicial cases were named, such as New Business where 25 people are accused of using $43 million in public funds to buy a local newspaper group and the accusation against former presidents Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela, and three former ministers for corruption related to the Odebrecht case

They also mention the scandal after journalists found that a private clinic clandestinely administered Pfizer vaccines and charged for it, when at that time they were managed by the Ministry of Health.

Similarly, it was indicated that there were no developments in the 2020 investigations by the Public Ministry related to the alleged overpricing paid by national government institutions for ventilators and the purchase of used ventilators to treat covid-19 patients.

Security forces
The report also refers to corruption, and the lack of accountability in the security forces continued.

In this sense, it is pointed out that the public security forces did not have an impartial investigative entity for internal investigations.

“The absence of clear standard operating procedures allowed officers discretion in each case. The lack of regular audits of operations to monitor efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, and transparency contributed to the problem,” the report details.

Regarding freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media, it is indicated that the government generally respected this right, but journalists and the media observed that criminal and civil lawsuits for defamation and slander continued, which they considered “a threat” to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.