Lawyers’ president says police chief should face criminal charges

Two of Panama's top security authorities who resignations have previously been called for over allegations of police brutality, are unavailable for comment.

With the president of the National College of Lawyers, Rubén Elias Rodríguez saying that Police Director Gustavo Pérez should face criminal charges for the way he has handled allegations of financial irregularities within the agency, it’s not surprising that the police chief has kept his lips sealed.

Rodriguez says Perez committed a "grave breach of the law" when he failed to report alleged irregularities to the Attorney General's Office.

Rodríguez says that the Attorney General should open up an investigation of these irregularities, as well as examine the way the incident was handled by Pérez. He said the police director could be guilty of a 1996 provision of the criminal code mandating that allegations of corruption must be reported to the Attorney General.

"The citizenship is tired and jaded of so much corruption," the lawyer said. "We need transparent actions and solutions."

Last week, the police department's head of purchasing, Jorge González, resigned due to the alleged irregularities. Pérez said that the incident was "an internal matter."

Neither Pérez nor Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino could be reached for comment. Mulino has remained largely out of the spotlight since the burning death of 5 inmates at a juvenile detention center