Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino announced this Thursday that he is working on the creation of an 'anti-mafia law', inspired by the regulations of the United States and Europe, with the aim of strengthening the fight against organized crime and mafia infrastructure. During his weekly press conference, the head of state explained that he is gathering information and advice from governments such as France, Italy, and the United States, whose laws have proven to be effective in dismantling criminal organizations. 'I am trying to get information and advice from governments like the United States, France, and Italy to create in Panama an anti-mafia law similar to the one the United States implemented with RICO,' Mulino stated. He also emphasized the need to strengthen the Panamanian legal framework to address modern organized crime. He stated that current laws are 'insufficient and outdated.' At the same time, he questioned recent decisions by the guarantee judges and the Judicial Branch, which grant house arrest to individuals linked to criminal activities such as drug trafficking and gang-related violence. 'That battle against gangs, drug trafficking, and organized crime cannot have flexibility with these convicted scoundrels,' he stated. He also called for greater commitment from the Judicial Branch. 'The fight against drug trafficking and crime cannot be the task of the security forces alone; we also need the commitment of society and the support of the judicial system,' he added. On the other hand, Mulino said that he does not rule out presenting a regulation related to the law of asset forfeiture, but only if it is a 'good technical law' and not defective legislation as was attempted to be approved in previous legislative sessions. The head of state recalled his opposition to the law presented in the past quinquennium, which, he said, contained 'serious distortions' and represented a risk of being used for political purposes. In addition, he pointed out that it is necessary to give more agility to the entity in charge of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to administer the goods seized in corruption cases. 'Or we all work in the same direction, or we are going to poke each other's eyes out.'
