Dismissals Were Recommended at the University of Chiriquí in Panama from Antai.  

The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Antai) presented a formal resolution recommending the dismissal of 12 officials from the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi).  The measure affects various authorities who hold or have held high-ranking positions, including vice-rectors, teachers, and directors of regional centers.  The document containing the investigation’s findings was sent directly to the interim rector, currently Dr. Pedro González Beermann pictured below. This new disciplinary action follows a previous process in which the oversight body had already recommended the removal of 15 other staff members from the university. 

Because the resolution came while a session of the university’s general council was underway, the interim rector did not issue immediate statements, Telemetro reported.  However, the one who did speak during a press conference was the rector-elect, Absel Navarro pictured below, because one of the professionals appointed to accompany him as vice-rector in his next term is on the list of people with a recommendation for dismissal for her past role as director of regional centers.  In this regard, Navarro emphasized the importance of respecting current legal regulations and clarified:

“We know that right now she, like others, may be at that stage where each of those processes has not yet been finalized. I imagine they have the right to reconsideration, then the right to appeal. When that becomes final here, we will make the corresponding decisions, because we act within the bounds of the law, and what the law says is what will be followed in this institution, and above all, respecting university autonomy.”  The rector-elect, who is scheduled to assume the position permanently, explained that so far he has not received a formal notification about the full scope of these administrative and investigative actions, indicating that all the information he has has been obtained through reports published by the media. 

Despite this, Navarro was emphatic in stating his future administration’s commitment to institutional transparency: “We will comply with all corresponding measures.”  Likewise, the future authority recalled that the investigations and resolutions of the Antai correspond to a strictly external process, so once in office it will be necessary to initiate the internal disciplinary process.  According to expert analysis, if implemented, the dismissal would apply specifically to the administrative position of directors or vice-rectors currently in office, without initially affecting their status as tenured professors at the university.