Knives still out for former Attorney General

TWO DIFFERENT LAWYERS, apparently unconnected, have filed challenges against the election of the Assembly’s only independent legislator  former Attorney General Ana Matilde Gómez.

She was elected to the National Assembly in the 8-7 circuit.

Honorio Quesada filed a complaint claiming that Gómez is disqualified for running for office for four years as part of the sentence handed down against her by the Supreme Court in August 2011.
She was sentenced to six months in jail, which was replaced by a $4,000 fine.
"When a person is sentenced, they cannot be a candidate," Quesada said. "The law is for everyone."
Gómez was appointed by former President Martín Torrijos in 2004 for a period of 10 years.
Under President Ricardo Martinelli, she was removed from her post for having ordered a wiretap on a judge who was accused of demanding bribes for lenient sentences. At the time she was also investigating a prosecutor who resigned from her office, and was later appointed a Supreme Court judge by Martinelli. He later resigned from that post after being accused of being part of a cabal seeking to oust his former boss.
Tribunal Electoral (TE) Judge Guillermo Márquez Amado said that the complaint against Gomez is not valid. He said only people sentenced to five years or more in prison are excluded from holding office after their sentence has been completed.
Yesterday, lawyer Alejandro Pérez also filed a complaint against Gómez's . Pérez made the same argument as Quesada.
Gómez said she is not concerned about the complaints because they were filed past the deadline for contesting the election.