The statements of President Juan Carlos Varela on a possible investigation by the Attorney General against Epasa have caused the displeasure of many.
Filemón Medina, Secretary General of the Union of Journalists of Panama, said that we live in a presidential-system country where the President says an opinion, makes a comment or suggestion and these are always taken as though instructions are given to the Public Prosecutor's Office so that it can initiate investigations.
"It worries that the MP starts an investigation process to find elements that cause the need to initiate a trial or try to process a means of communication", he stressed.
Mr. Medina added that there is a profound level of intolerance in this Government against those
communication media which are linked to the last presidential administration.
"This is wrong because the public servant must do only what the law mandates and give detailed information to whichever medium of communication may require it", he added.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Pérez, former Deputy Minister of Government, was more emphatic in saying that the President should not meddle with the affairs of the Panamanian justice system.
"That expression, President Varela´s, only denotes his disposition to go beyond all constitutional barriers," Mr. Pérez declared.
Mr. Pérez also believes that there is a serious attack against the freedom of press and the means of communication.
He also recalled the rumor that has circulated for years, that President Juan Carlos Varela is who controls the Public Prosecutor's Office with the objective to persecute political adversaries.
"If the MP were not persecuting newspapers Crítica and Panama America of Epasa, with these statements made by the President, it will now start to do so".
In fact, voices from different sectors of the civil society have questioned the statements made by the Panamanian President announcing this 'possible' case because the people are asking themselves that if he as Head of State claims to not know the subjects that are handled in the Court, he did speak of a probable case.
When asked various leaders have agreed that what was expressed by Mr. Varela poses a threatening damage to freedom of expression in the country because once the President spoke of a possible investigation, a few minutes later the information was denied by a spokesperson of the judicial institution.
The current Government has also been accused in cases in which alleged persecution and fines are mentioned.
One of such cases occurred when the Electoral Court threatened to impose a fine of up to $50 thousand to Epasa for the publication of an article on the results of an opinion poll, placing former President Ricardo Martinelli way above the current one in terms of popularity.
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