90 corruption cases pending as accused delay justice

Some 90 cases forwarded to the Supreme Court by the Public Ministry in the last five years are still awaiting resolution as the court struggles to cope with a never-ending stream of appeals and legal  maneuvers   by high profile, well-heeled defendants who once ruled the roost  in the Martinelli administration

La Prensa reports that the latest legal remedy threatens to delay the process for alleged embezzlement to the detriment of the National Assistance Program (PAN) , related to the purchase of bags of grain.

This is constitutional guarantee protection presented by the defense of the former Minister of Finance (MEF), Frank De Lima, against the decision of the Second Court of Justice, which in  October revoked the nullity of the inquiries to De Lima and Adolfo Chichi De Obarrio, the fugitive former private secretary of Martinelli.

The appeal alleges suspicious violations of the fundamental guarantees of those investigated in the process.

In this case, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Discharge appealed a decision of the controversial fifteenth judge Leslie Loaiza, renowned for letting former high rollers of the hook who declared the inquiries to De Lima and De Obarrio void.

The magistrate of the Second Court, Zaida Cárdenas, endorsed the opinion of the prosecutor in maintaining that she had acted in accordance with the law by ordering the inquiries of both former officials.

Another 29 people were charged for alleged embezzlement and in the investigation, a patrimonial injury of $12.3 million was established.