The National Bar Association (CNA) This Friday, April 10, he expressed his rejection of the recent actions attributed to officials of the Comptroller General of the Republic and stressed that they are a possible interference in proceedings carried out by the Attorney General’s Office in corruption cases.
Through a statement, the union described as a “serious excess of functions” the alleged interruption of evidence practices in anti-corruption prosecutors’ offices, highlighting that these actions would violate powers that, by legal and constitutional mandate, correspond exclusively to the Attorney General’s Office.
The CNA’s position arises after the Public Ministry reported that it began a criminal investigation after an incident that occurred at the headquarters of the Superior Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, where a procedure related to a case of alleged unjustified enrichment was being carried out.
According to the official statement from the Attorney General’s Office, the investigation would arise after a complaint filed by a senior anti-corruption prosecutor, who warned about the emergence of officials from the Comptroller General’s Office of the Republic of Panama in the middle of an interview with auditors of that entity.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, these officials intervened during the procedure, which prevented it from being concluded. It has emerged that allegedly among the people who entered the office would be the Comptroller General of the Republic, Anel Flores.
VALIDITY OF THE TESTS
The union warned that the presence of officials not cited in criminal investigations lacks legal basis and could compromise the validity of the evidence, in addition to putting at risk due process and the integrity of the ongoing investigations.
In this sense, the CNA stressed that in crimes against public administration, the audit reports of the Comptroller’s Office must be duly supported, but they cannot interfere in the development of judicial proceedings.
Likewise, he warned that this type of actions weakens democratic institutions, erodes the separation of powers and generates a dangerous precedent of interference in the administration of justice.
The union called on the competent authorities to adopt measures to guarantee respect for the rule of law and avoid the repetition of these events.
He also demanded the immediate cessation of practices that he considered inappropriate, as well as unrestricted respect for the autonomy and independence of the Public Ministry.
The CNA reiterated that it is up to prosecutors to carry out the necessary tests to clarify the facts investigated, in accordance with legality and objectivity, in order to strengthen citizen confidence in the judicial system.
