Ex-president gunning for La Prensa

Former President Ernesto Perez Balladares  has filed a civil suit against the  La Prensa  corporation in the Fifteenth Civil Court of Panama.

The lawsuit was  filed Monday by Jose Maria Castillo, a lawyer for Perez Balladares, is an amount that exceeds one million dollars.

In a procedure considered by lawyers as "unusual",  says La Prensa, the Civil Court of Panama Fifteenth certified through a statement published in national newspapers the filing a civil suit against Corporation La Prensa (Corprensa).

The statement explained that this certification, which does not have the date on which the lawsuit, was filed, was requested by the "interested party" to comply with the provisions of Article 669 of the Judicial Code.

Guido Rodriguez, president of the Forum of Journalists,  described the suit as as a clear threat to freedom of expression. According to Rodriguez, the message that  the legal action conveys the legal action is clear: "If you post things, this is what can happen."

Rodriguez pleaded for a judge to stop the action as a "quasi claim," which violates the standards of the Organization of American States (OAS) on freedom of expression.

"If what was published was related to an investigation, as indeed it was, regardless of the outcome of the process, this is not a demand basis”.

Philemon Medina, General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists said that in reporting crimes and corruption, journalists and the media echo  the sentiments of society, so it's not right that businessmen, politicians and authorities bring cases against them.

Meanwhile, Balladarres said on his Twitter account @ perezballadares : "I believe in freedom of expression of all kinds will defend  it forever, but I also believe that the freedoms should be exercised with responsibility and they have been, in collusion with others (already known and public), very irresponsible and false in their publications. "

Although not officially confirmed the amount of  the lawsuit according to judicial sources is over $1 million and relates to the money laundering investigation of Balladares and 14 others on the instruction of the Organized Crime prosecutor.

In the process, the Public Ministry (MP) claimed that the defendants failed to justify the sums of money they received from Shelf Holding Inc., from Lucky Games company that benefited from a direct grant for managing rooms for slot machines by the Perez Balladares government.

However, says La Prensa the Ninth Criminal Court issued a definitive dismissal of all the accused on April 29, 2011, arguing that the MP did not prove money laundering or corruption. The prosecution appealed the ruling, but the Second Court of Justice on  January 5 so the MP announced an appeal.