An institutional crisis has erupted in Panama due to the actions of Comptroller General Anel Flores. Flores obstructed the work of the anti-corruption prosecutor when Prosecutor Luis Carlos Gómez requested more tools for the fight against corruption. He also opposed the measures taken by the mayor of San Miguelito, Irma Hernández, to address the garbage problem. Flores allegedly instructed his allied deputies not to vote in favor of his summons to the National Assembly, wanting to deliver a monologue rather than be held accountable or answer questions. In response, deputy Luis Eduardo Camacho of the ruling party Realizando Metas (RM) proposed granting Flores courtesy of the floor, a motion approved by the majority of his colleagues. However, Camacho later explained that Flores had to return to the Comptroller's Office in the middle of the gridlock on the Coastal Belt because the Vamos caucus prioritized the 'show' over the explanations the comptroller wanted to give. Courtesy of the floor was suspended. This strategic move came after it became known that deputies from the Vamos caucus planned to formally summon Flores to the Assembly to account for his actions. The Assembly has the power to summon him. After the period of statements, deputy Janine Prado, from the Vamos caucus, read the motion. There was no summons. After all, it is the same state body that appointed Flores to his position. And indeed, that's what happened. Why have a high-ranking official if we are not going to ask them questions? Several of her Vamos colleagues made similar speeches. Luis Duk recalled that the comptroller's summons had been proposed in an expanded board meeting. 'However, it was rejected, but now I understand why, because they already had everything planned behind the scenes to listen to the monologue.' Nevertheless, 40 deputies voted against it. Deputy Juan Diego Vásquez, in turn, called Flores a 'coward' on social media. When the session resumed, the deputy presented the initiative. First, she called Flores's actions 'grave.' 'And he advocated for the company that had San Miguelito drowning in garbage,' she added. She recalled that he also said he had dossiers. 'Now, when justice tries to clarify a high-profile case, the shadow of interference appears again. This Assembly cannot be complicit in the direct interference of high-ranking officials in judicial processes,' she stated. Shirley Castañeda reveals private conversations But Flores also received support in the plenary. In addition to Camacho, Shirley Castañeda of RM also defended him. She said she could not overlook defending Flores 'with so much disrespect' from Vamos, without giving him the opportunity to present his side. Castañeda, a lawyer for former President Ricardo Martinelli, showed printed conversations in the plenary in which, according to her, Juan Diego Vásquez, leader of Vamos, instructed his caucus to bring the comptroller to the Assembly. 'I have been shown a capture of the Vamos conversations...' she affirmed. Vásquez responded on social media X with a blunt message: he would report her criminally because, in his opinion, she had committed a crime. 'At stake is respect for the separation of powers and the credibility of the rule of law...' he argued. The caucus had drafted an 11-question questionnaire. It is not about a person. Nor about courtesy of the floor. So, a recess was declared. The Comptroller General Anel Flores did not appear this Monday, April 13, before the plenary of the National Assembly, even though the hemicycle had approved giving him the floor to explain why he interrupted an interview that an anti-corruption prosecutor was conducting with two auditors from the Comptroller's Office. The intrusion occurred last Thursday when the auditors were testifying about the audits that support the investigation against former Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo, prosecuted for alleged unjust enrichment. The comptroller's intrusion is being investigated by the Prosecutor General's Office and has provoked multiple criticisms. He said it was a 'pattern of institutional interference.' 'I'm not afraid, deputy, and I go straight, not like you,' he wrote. 'Greetings Deputy @ShirleyCastRM I see that you are undoubtedly seeking to imitate your boss, especially in the BAD. I want to tell you straight that I will report you criminally because what you did is a crime.'
