The presiding magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), María Eugenia López, defended the salary increase requested for the magistrates of the highest court, assuring that it is a justified measure and planned within the budget of the Judicial Branch for the year 2025. In an interview with TVN Noticias, López explained that the salaries of Panamanian magistrates are below those of their counterparts in several countries in the region, such as Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, and Argentina.
According to data from the World Bank, magistrates in Colombia earn approximately $15,000 monthly, in Mexico $18,500, in Costa Rica $16,000, in Chile $13,000, in Argentina $12,000, while in Panama the salary is $10,000, broken down into $6,000 in salary and $4,000 in representation expenses. López emphasized that the salary of the magistrates has not been reviewed in the last 30 years, from 1995 to 2025, and that the requested increase is included in the budget for the next year, without the need to reallocate additional funds.
The magistrate also highlighted that the high workload of Panamanian magistrates exceeds that of neighboring countries where there are more judges to distribute the work. She also pointed out that unlike other professionals, magistrates have restrictions on performing other activities such as trade or law practice, only being allowed university teaching.
On the other hand, María Eugenia López rejected the idea of extending the salary increase to other judicial bodies such as the Electoral Tribunal and the Court of Accounts, stating that the CSJ has no counterparts in Panama, being responsible for upholding the Constitution, the rule of law, and social peace. Regarding the approval of the salary adjustment by the Comptroller's Office, the magistrate recalled that the law gives her the duty to endorse the Court's decision if it insists on the request.
Finally, López argued that the salary increase requested for the magistrates of the Court represents a 40% increase over 30 years, unlike municipal judges who have seen a 163% increase and circuit judges a 139% increase in the same period. Furthermore, she assured that the impact of the proposed increase is less than 1% of the Judicial Branch's budget, denying that it has been approved at a time of spending restraint. In the magistrate's words, 'We are not forcing anyone, we simply ask that the Organic Law be complied with.'
