judicial

Delgado replaced as minister

A temporary suspension became permanent yesterday.

la prensa

Daniel Delgado Diamante1113118

Daniel Delgado Diamante was removed from his post as minister of Government and Justice late Monday because of the ongoing investigation into his involvement in the 1970 shooting death of Andrés García.

Delgado Diamante had placed himself on a 30-day suspension when the investigation was started last month. With the end of that suspension looming, President Martín Torrijos decided to replace him, naming Dilio Arcia as the new minister.

Attorney General Ana Matilde Gómez did not specify how, or if, the change would impact the investigation. Panamanian law calls for different procedures to be followed in judicial inquiries involving senior civil servants and politicians versus other citizens.

Gómez also said that, so far, prosecutors have been unable to locate any document or evidence to show that the case was investigated by judicial authorities at the time of the shooting, as Delgado Diamante has claimed.

Yesterday, Delgado Diamante continued to claim innocence and said that the investigation has had a devastating impact on his family.

This statement provoked an angry response from Jean Black, García's widow.

“And what about our suffering,” she asked, referring to her and her family. “And what about my children, who asked many times where their father was. And what about the many nights we went hungry because we had nothing.”

In a television interview yesterday, Delgado Diamante said that García was “out of it” the day of the shooting, and, in the past, had acted violently when drinking.

Delgado Diamante said that on the day of the shooting, he followed García to his home in Panama Viejo because he was told García was planning on killing his wife.

He said his mission that day was to protect García's family, and that he had received a telephone call from Black's mother begging for his help.

Black, however, disputed that account, stating that the family did not own a telephone.

“Everything [Delgado Diamante said on television] is a lie,” Black said, later adding: “God knows that he is lying and that he is a murderer.”