Uncle Pipo to testify for accused judge

Lawyers for suspended Supreme Court Justice Alejandro Moncada Luna reported that they will call former Vice President Felipe “Pipo” Virzi to testify in the corruption trial of the judge.

Sidney Sitton, a lawyer for Moncada Luna, announced today that the witness will testify about a $700,000 loan he made to the judge so that he could buy luxury apartments in Coco del Mar. The purchase of these apartments is at the center of the corruption allegations.
“He will verify that he made the interest-free loan,” said Sitton.
He said that the relationship between Moncada Luna and Virzi is excellent, and that the judge refers affectionately to the entrepreneur as “Uncle Pipo.”
The judge has also issued favorable rulings to business interests controlled by Virzi. On Feb. 9, 2011 Moncada Luna granted an injunction of guarantees in favor of Universal Bank, which had a dispute with an oil company over land in David, Chiriqui. Virzi is one of the bank’s major shareholders reports La Prensa.
Sitton has alleged that Deputy Pedro Miguel González – acting as the prosecutor in the case — has violated due process by incorporating a series of e-mails into the investigation without processing them properly.
Sitton said that article 29 of the Constitution states that “private papers and correspondence are inviolable and may not be examined or retained without an order from a competent authority and for a specific purpose.”
He also said the prosecutor has investigated the bank accounts of people who, according to him, have not been charged. He added that the government is seeking to expel Moncada Luna to be able to nominate his replacement.
“The government wants the power,” Sitton said, saying his client has been pressured to resign.
Sitton also doubted that, once the case reaches the legislative plenum, there will be enough votes to convict.
González has up to two months to investigate the case before requesting either a trial or a dismissal of charges.
The case file will then be turned over to the Credentials Committee, which will decide if it should be brought to the plenary of the Assembly. A conviction will require a two-thirds majority, or 40 of the 60 legislators.