Panamanian on rape charge leaves Philipines under diplomatic immunity

A Philipines  feminist party has criticized the Philippine government for allowing the departure from the country on Friday May 11  of a Panamanian under diplomatic immunity, despite a rape charge says the AFP news agency.

"The government has been too slow to respond to this case from the beginning and the result is that the perpetrator Erick Shcks Bairnals has fled. But we will continue calling until justice is done, "he said in a statement Ranjo Gert-Libang, Deputy Secretary General of the Gabrielaparty.

 Ranjo-Libang reported that the decision of the Embassy of Panama tofacilitate the departure of Shcks Bairnals "proves he's guilty." 

Erick Shcks Bairnals, 35, an official and technical evaluator of the Maritime Authority of Panama, part of the embassy in the Philipines remained free from April 30 after the Philippine government recognized his diplomatic immunity. Shcks Bairnals set out during Friday night for Ninoy Aquino airport in Manila, accompanied by the Ambassador of Panama, Roberto Carlos Vallarino, for a flight to Amsterdam. Earlier, the Philippine foreign department said Shcks Bairnals persona non grata after the ambassador conveyed by letter the Panamanian government's decision not to lift the diplomatic immunity of the officer. After the statement, the Philippine government warned that if there was no government action against Panamanian diplomat in a "reasonable" period of time, it would not recognize Shcks Bairnals as a member of the embassy and withdraw immunity. For the Gabriela party This statement came late and was barren because "you can not pay for his crime now that he is outside the country." The case has caused controversy in the Philippines, where a Panamanian flag was burned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Philippine police, the alleged victim said the incident occurred on April 23 when  the Panamanian citizen invited here  home, where an undtermined narcotic substance was inhaled The complainant who reported the incident the next day, accused Shcks Bairnals of raping her as she was almost unconscious as a result of inhalation of the substance. 

Schks Bairnals argues that the sex was consensual and denied having offered any narcotic substance to the young woman but conceded that both drank alcohol during the time they were together.
The Philipine Senate earlier demanded  that the rights of the young Filipinaallegedly raped must not be sacrificed just to maintain good Philippine relations with Panama.

This was the sentiment of Senate leaders led by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile after Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III delivered a scathing privilege speech decrying the speed with which Panama’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had given three conflicting positions on the diplomatic immunity of  SchcksBairnals.