“The uneven application of the rule of law in Panama”
The public ministry has shown an uneven application of the rule of law in legal cases involving members of the former administration. The latter are invariably sanctioned with more severe measures than people close to President Juan Carlos Varela.
- Actualizado: 26/1/2017 - 02:31 pm
The public ministry has shown an uneven application of the rule of law in legal cases involving members of the former administration. The latter are invariably sanctioned with more severe measures than people close to President Juan Carlos Varela.
Only yesterday, defense lawyers of those that have been indicted in the Odebrecht case faced obstruction on the part of the Anti-Corruption Public prosecutor’s office. “Quite simply, the public ministry has decided to deal with this case outside the rule of law, grossly violating the rights that every citizen accused of a crime has to defend themselves: this is a terrible and unfortunate precedent', denounced Cristobal Arboleda, who is part of the defense team of one of the children of former President Ricardo Martinelli. He accused the prosecutor’s office of denying him access to the case file regarding his client.
Mr. Arboleda's feelings were echoed by Carlos Carrillo, who represents Riccardo Francolini. The latter is already being detained in relation to the Caja de Ahorros savings bank' case. “It is hardly appropriate for the public prosecutor to issue a detention order against someone who is already being detained at her behest'.
The overall feeling is that the primary objective of these actions is to attack members of Cambio Democratico (CD) rather than applying the rule of law, according to both lawyers.
Another example of the discriminatory bias against the defense teams in this case was the ease of access that Alvin Weeden, an alleged plaintiff, had to the case files. Mr. Weeden was supposedly keen to supply evidence in relation to the case. “This has been noted and will have legal implications when the time comes: our defense rights have been violated”, sentenced Mr. Carrillo.
Former social security director Guillermo Saez Llorens, former public works minister Federico Suarez as well as Mario Martinelli, the brother of former President Ricardo Martinelli, have been implicated in the Odebrecht case. All of them spent the day at the Anti-Corruption prosecutor’s office for questioning. They were seen leaving late in the evening and a reiterated their innocence.
Questioning will continue tomorrow.
The public ministry's approach to this case shows in no uncertain terms its unwillingness to investigate friends of the current government, according to political commentator Juan Carlos Tapia.
Even though Atty. general Kenia Porcell did referred to the indictment of 17 people, only nine names have been made public thus far: all of them are former officials, family members and friends of former President Martinelli.
Former public prosecutor Neftali Jaen decried the current situation as one of the reasons why the population believed that the rule of law was being applied selectively. There has been no investigation against officials from the current administration, let alone the very public use of Indictments against them.
A recent poll by Dichter & Neira revealed that four out of five Panamanians demanded that the administrations of Presidents Martin Torrijos and Juan Carlos Varela also be investigated as part of the Odebrecht case.
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