Former Attorney General Accused J.C. Varela of Wiretapping

Former attorney general Ana Matilde Gómez, today independent legislator, accused President Juan Carlos Varela of phoning her when he served as Vice President of the Republic, for a wiretap issue.

The independent legislator said that when Varela was Vice President, he participated in a wiretapping action in the Security Council.

"I’m convinced that he did know about it and that they were planning to remove me (...)" "not only did Vice President Varela phoned me, but he sounded very reticent", revealed the former attorney general in an interview with TVN.

After these statements by legislator Ana Matilde Gómez, versions emerged such as that by PRD legislator Zulay Rodríguez affirming that it is up to the Committee on Credentials of the National Assembly to open an investigation ex officio against President Juan Carlos Varela.

"Once we resume sessions on July 1, I will push for this issue to be included in agenda", said Rodriguez.

She added that "this scoundrel Government and its delinquent sanctimonious President think that they can evade justice. Wrong! Only two years remains for their term to be over.

This complaint occurs after the interference of Varela in justice has been questioned as well as the use of the Security Council to attack opponents with the support of Attorney General Kenya Porcell, who along with other people have undermined the image of the Panamanian justice system.

These actions aimed at spying on political enemies would be supported now by the Public Ministry (MP) and the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) through legal processes opened against former-government officials and relatives.

This has prompted lawyers’ and civil society’s allegations of abuse of power and mismanagement on the part of Attorney General Porcell.

Six complaints have been filed against Porcell, the first one being presented on 7 October 2015, for cases initiated against former officials that contrast with the current government’s management due to the abuse of authority and poor public performance it has displayed so far.

Since then there have been other five complaints, one field by president’s former advisor Ramón Fonseca Mora; another one by Movimiento Arraiján 2000; and recently, one more by a group of lawyers of the Citizens Against Corruption and Impunity demanding the resignation of both Porcell and the Comptroller General of the Republic, Federico Humbert.

With this in mind, political analyst José Blandón said that the Panamanian justice must get back onto track.

Violations

Both Kenya Porcell and the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice have been accused of committing violations in investigations and judicial proceedings under orders of the Executive.

Only yesterday the magistrate acting as judge of warranty in a case of Presidential pardons, José Ayú Prado, issued authorization for public lawyers to take on the legal defense of former President Ricardo Martinelli, despite the existence of a letter (…)

The action of judge Ayu Prado occurred prior to the postponement of a hearing, at which a letter signed by the former President currently detained in Miami was read out which rejects the imposition of a lawyer, and supporting the request of lawyer Sídney Sittón to suspend the hearing.

At a later time, judge Abel Zamorano, who acts as the Prosecutor in the case, asked to suspend the hearing.

However, the spokesman for the former President, Luis Eduardo Camacho, held that the designation of a lawyer in the case against the former for the granting of pardons has once again violated procedural rules.

"This is a year another violation of the process because Martinelli has already made it clear that he will only accept his  lawyer, Sídney Sittón, (to defend him) who cannot be present because he is attending another process in the United States”, said Camacho.

On this same case, lawyer and former deputy labor minister Luis Eduardo Camacho Jr. explained that two cases of the same type have been opened before one same institution.

According to the jurist, former President Martinelli is accused in one of the cases without being duly charged, and in another one the opposite applies. "It is clear that no-one can be charged without first being charged which a crime", he said.

This action has been preceded by other complaints involving legislators, president’s former adviser Ramón Fonseca Mora, and even a member of this organ of the State, judge Harry Díaz.

In February of this year, the former President of the Panameñista party, Ramón Fonseca Mora, said that he had "written evidence that there are phone calls -made to the Judiciary Organ-. This is a Justice system of people calling them on the phone."

Fonseca Mora declared upon arrival at the Avesa building, headquarters of several prosecutors of the public prosecutor's office, where he was questioned over the Lava Jato case, the alleged relationships of the Executive and the Court.

"Mr. President, God placed you in that position to fix things; to fix the institutions in the country. “Not to do what you told me in your office with (Adolfo) 'Beby' Valderrama and (José Luis) 'Popi' Varela present that you had appointed José Ayú Prado (judge of the Supreme Court of Justice) because he would easily be manipulated from above", he revealed.