Fingered judge files ethics complaint against  lawyer

Judge  Abel Zamorano has filed a complaint for alleged ethical breaches against lawyer Janio Lescure, before the Court of Honor of the National Bar Association (CNA).

Zamorano alleges that Lescure would have infringed articles 23 and 37 of the Lawyer’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

He  bases his complaint in a publication in  La Prensa, on September 6, about revelations of Lescure in which he claimed to have a great friendship with Zamorano, during a conversation with undercover Israeli agents of the private intelligence agency Black Cube.

 The ex-spies had been hired by a Panamanian who, after a long litigation process, began to suspect that it was no coincidence that he always lost his cases. Its mission was to expose corruption in the Judicial Branch of Panama.

Lescure, unaware of being the target of an undercover operation, spoke of the payment of bribes, especially aimed at the purchase of sentences, paid to the former ex-magistrate Oydén Ortega and Migration authorities, the Mayor’s Office of Panama and the Ministry of Labor. In addition, he said that he and Zamorano were “very good friends”, since they studied together in Salamanca, Spain.

Lescure also mentioned Zamorano in the context of another of the agents’ questions: “And who can be, of those you mentioned, who can be our partner, no matter what?”

“There, at least, we can have four of them,” he replied. Who? They asked. “Zamorano …” Lescure replied without hesitation.

La Prensa contacted Zamorano three times to receive his version of what Lescure said. He spoke only once.. “I haven’t even received that man in my office,” Zamorano replied, referring to Lescure.

Questioned about whether he had studied with him in Salamanca, Zamorano said he had not graduated with him.

The case is already under investigation by the Prosecutor against Organized Crime.