Brief: Public safety

complaint about police appointment stalls

The formal complaint against President Martín Torrijos for appointing Jaime Ruiz as acting police commissioner has stalled in the Asamblea Nacional.

Elías Castillos, the chairman of the Asamblea's Credentials Committee, reported yesterday that the complaint is still in the hands of the technical team of the Palacio Legislativo. Castillos justified the delay by saying that some of the committee's members have been occupied with revising the proposed Código Procesal Penal.

The complaint was filed on May 19 and alleges that Ruiz, a member of the police force, should not have been promoted to head of the agency. The department's policies call for the commissioner to be a civilian. Torrijos, however, justified the appointment by stating that Ruiz was appointed only as acting commissioner.