Panama - A 26-year-old man, accused of rape and aggravated robbery, was sentenced to 22 years in prison after the parties reached a plea agreement during a control of guarantees hearing. As an accessory penalty, the Guaranties Judge prohibited the convicted person from holding public office for a term equal to the main sentence. Between October and December 2024, the now-convicted man, using violent methods and intimidation and armed with a firearm, entered the homes of two women in the district of La Chorrera, stealing valuables and raping one of them. The Regional Prosecutor's Office of West Panama, through the Section of Crimes against Freedom and Sexual Integrity, managed to present during the hearing evidence that led the accused to declare himself criminally responsible. In another case, during an appeal hearing, the Appeals Court canceled the precautionary measures of periodic reporting and house arrest for two young men, aged 20 and 21, accused of aggravated rape. The change in the precautionary measure implied provisional detention for both accused, who, in July 2025, in the district of La Chorrera and in the company of a third subject who remains detained, sexually abused a 17-year-old minor.
