LAWYERS FOR PANAMA'S DESPERATE FORMER PRESIDENT FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST ALL REMAINING SUPREME COURT JUDGES

In a move that most observers believe smacks of sheer desperation, attorneys for former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli have filed criminal charges against the remaining judges and magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice, effectively shutting down the country's dysfunctional criminal justice system. Panama's highest court, which is grappling with a massive docket of official corruption cases, must now grind to a halt, which was most likely Martinelli's objective, since it is members of his cabinet, and agency appointees, who are charged with criminal acts, as well as Martinelli himself.


The charges, which include Abuse of Authority, and Defamation, do not appear to have any factual basis, and have been interposed strictly for dilatory reasons, to halt the current criminal cases from proceeding to trial. Martinelli's arrogance, and abuse of the judicial system, has once more interfered with the forward movement of President Varela's reform program.

One wonders why INTERPOL, which was given Red Card notices for some of the fugitives from justice, did not get Ricardo Martinelli's name as well. Is everyone in Panama still afraid of the man the Opposition called "Mad Dog" Martinelli ?