Judicial

US report: Court reform ‘urgent’

Panama´s court system is criticized for lacking controls to prevent corruption and for its process for selecting Supreme Court justices.

ÁNGEL SANTIAGO/LA PRENSA

new method:The report proposes a new formula for the selection of judges on the Panamian Supreme Court.951273

A report issued yesterday says that Panama´s court system needs "urgent reform," and that there is a perception that the system is corrupt.

The report, issued by the Washington, D.C.-based Due Process of Law Foundation, is titled "Evaluation of Judicial Corruption in Central America and Panama and the Mechanisms to Control It." The Foundation was created in 1996 by Thomas Buergenthal, a judge currently serving on the International Court of Justice. The document was based on interviews with users and operators of the judiciary as well as internal studies in Panama as well as in other Central American countries.

The authors warned that the study did not constitute a comprehensive diagnosis of the court system.

Regarding the situation in Panama, the report acknowledges that steps have been taken to improve the court system but that it requires structural changes to combat corruption.

The authors suggest, for example, constitutional amendments and the establishment of a new formula for selecting Supreme Court justices.

The report said that the judges should be granted "genuine autonomy and independence." It also suggested removing the bodies dependent directly on the highest court of justice, such as the Consejo Judicial and agencies such as the Auditoría Judicial, Recursos Humanos, the Escuela Judicial, and others.

The report also examined the role of the Asamblea Nacional, the Ministerio Público, the Controlaría and the Consejo de Transparencia in fighting corruption.

This is the second blow to Panama´s judicial system this week.

On Monday, Supreme Court Judge Graciela Dixon was soundly defeated in her bid to win a seat on the International Criminal Court.

She was defeated by a candidate from Uganda, Daniel David Ntanda Nsereko, who received 78 votes to Dixon´s 21.

Dixon´s candidacy had been questioned by local human rights groups, which claimed she has refused to hear cases on local human rights´violations.