Politicizing  of Ombudman’s office under attack

Panama’s “Ombudsman’s Office-the “voice of the people” – continues to be an institution swathed in controversy, with new charges that it is being illegally politicized.

Two previous holders of the post  have left under a cloud, and this week a National Assembly committee will announce irs ruling on allegations of sexual harassment by the current Ombudsman Alfredo Castillero

.On Monday, September 30, Joyce Araujo.former Secretary-General of the entity gave her reasons for her abrupt resignation which came following the appointment of Maribel Coco, as deputy  Ombudsman.

Coco was recently fired as a university professor  because of plagiarism

Araujo explained that, when checking references, she found that Coco was very active in the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) but does not have enough experience in human rights issues.

She emphasized that the law that created the Ombudsman’s Office is clear and establishes that the persons designated as a defender or deputy defender, cannot be linked in partisan matters nor be militants.

She said  that the Office of the Ombudsman, is a space that has been created armored from partisan issues to be able to develop its objectives and functions properly, “but Coco’s being a purely political designation minimizes activities that the defender must handle.”

According to Araujo, there is pressure on the institution from the Executive. But the ombudsman is the entity that is responsible for investigating cases of human rights violations committed by the State.

She  said that Coco’s designation would ” greatly ” impact the work of the Ombudsman’s Office, because with what autonomy could human rights violations.investigations be done.