judicial

Corruption penalties increased

Public officials who engage in acts of corruption will face harsher penalties under the new criminal code expected to go into effect next month.

One of the most significant changes in the code is the upgrading of penalties for embezzlement and theft if the missapropriated funds come from a social development program.

This is a key measure because the government recently launched a multi-million dollar social program that will use revenue from the Panama Canal to combat poverty.

Another change increases the penalties in bribery cases involving officials of the judiciary and the Ministerio Público. Officials convicted of this offense may now face between four and eight years in prison. Offenses under the new statute include tampering with a case to favor or harm one of the litigants, issuing a decision that is not in accordance with the Constitution or intentionally delaying a case so that it eventually has to be dismissed.

The new code also expands the definition of corruption to include instances in which a person is appointed to public office or receives a state salary, but does not do any work. This offense is punishable by 150 to 300 days in prison plus a fine or community service.

In connection with this crime, Anticorruption prosecutor Maribel Cornejo said that the Ministerio Público had requested that the people who made such hires also be punished, but that suggestion was rejected by the Asamblea Nacional.