A rush for seats in Panamas Supreme Court

A last minute rush of applications for seats in Panama’s Supreme Court pushed the number of supplicants to 112.

The time limit for the submission of documentation expired Monday September 12. Three days earlier only 71 had applied.

The publication of the names of applicants is the first stage for appointing five new judges and  their alternates, by the Cabinet Council.  The date for the decision has not been set.

The last time a committee sat to choose two judges President Ricardo Martinelli  stepped in and made his own choices, one of whom, Jose Abel Almengor resigned under a cloud  after accusations that he had been part of a cabal planning to oust former Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez. Investigations into the accusations are continuing.

Public confidence in Panama’s judicial system is at a low ebb with the widespread belief that it is inherently corrupt. Judges are appointed for a ten year period, but moves are underway to extend the period to 20 years.