Bar Assc. calls for UN help to solve justice crisis

PANAMA’S justice system  shows signs of imploding as the lid is lifted on internal divisions   and  rivalries, and allegations  circulate of interference in internal affairs  by the executive.                                                                                     The National Bar Association (CNA)  has called on President Juan Carlos Varela  to formally invite the  UN Special Rapporteur on Judicial Independence, “to contribute to taking the necessary steps  to overcome the “deep crisis in Panamanian justice “.

In a resolution signed by Jose Alberto Alvarez and Juan Carlos Arauz, president and vice president of the  CNA, the college  warns that the statements of Judge Harry Diaz on Thursday means that Panama is forced to adopt “specific commitments” to find solutions to the serious questions that weigh on the administration of justice. Varela, meanwhile, thinks that the current situation is an “internal” problem of the Court, therefore ,it  must be resolved without the participation of other state bodies.

In an interview with Telemetro Reports, Diaz admitted court interference exerted by Ricardo Martinelli during his presidency (2009-2014); year and a half earlier, in an interview published in the “Knockout” section of La Prensa, criticized  bad practices of colleagues who shelved records and sold.decisions.

The Association  also criticized the “inaction” of the Credentials Committee of the National Assembly, which has no criterion for resolving complaints received against judges. There are 10 outstsanding complaints  against the court’s president jose Ayu Prado, including interference in cases elated tp Martinelli.

“The behavior of judges of the Court has no real control or effective control in the current system, with no administrative or disciplinary sanctions of any kind that allows the citizen to face the wrong act of the leading representatives of justice,” the CNP.

The guild also consider that Panamanian justice requires a comprehensive reform to get out of  the current “impasse.” “Constitutional reform is the only way to achieve these changes,” it  said.