Four lawyers have uncovered the grim picture of how drug trafficking infiltrates Panamanian political parties. Marco Austin, president of the Panamanian Association of Constitutional Law, delivers the most resounding blow. He doesn't mince words: «If drug trafficking doesn't control political parties now, then it's close to doing so,» he said without hesitation. Austin recalls that this infiltration is not new. «Back in 1994, when it was revealed that money from Colombian José Castrillón Henao entered the campaign of Ernesto Pérez Balladares, the infiltration began,» he warned. According to the constitutionalist, the core problem lies in the weakness of Panama's system to control the entry of dirty money. «The laws here are too lenient on donations. At the end of the dictatorship, a deputy was detained in the United States, and then there was a scandal over funds that penetrated presidential campaigns,» he recalled. After the government of Guillermo Endara, intelligence reports were already expressing concern about the infiltration of drug trafficking into the political parties, not just for campaigns, but to control internal positions,» stated Fuentes Montenegro. In his opinion, to this day, the phenomenon is more advanced than the citizenry perceives. «There is a worrying presence because it is only revealed when there are confrontations between groups and interests; when there aren't, it goes unnoticed, and is even accepted by more than one. All parties and independent groups are vulnerable,» he added. The lawyer dismantles the argument that the failure is legal. Austin remarks that investigations into narco-political ties «are real, not a fabrication» and throws a direct dart at the heart of the institutions. «Organized crime has already seeped into political parties and civil society. If we let it, this country can become a narco-state every day,» he warns. His recipe is clear: «Strengthen control institutions and give more power to the Public Ministry for greater effectiveness and punishment in the corresponding investigations.» Lawyer and former deputy Guillermo Cochez also sees this phenomenon as an old, growing shadow. He stated that drug trafficking has infiltrated political parties for a long time. Cochez recalls episodes within the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), including the murder of a deputy involved in illicit activities, and warns that the same patterns have been repeated in the Panameñista Party, the People's Party, and other collectives. According to the former lawmaker, the root of the problem is the open door that parties leave open for anyone who arrives with resources. «They allow any person to enter the party, even aspire to positions without any investigation of their past or background. «It's not the norms that fail. It's the people who control the law enforcement and interpretation bodies, and even prosecutors, judges, and magistrates can fall into the drug trafficking networks for economic motives.» He directly accuses the criminal justice system: «In Panama, it turns a blind eye, is deaf, mute, complicit, and covers it up. That is shameful.» According to Cochez, the discredit of the parties is a direct result of «that lack of controls and the economic power that drug trafficking gangs have.» Juan Carlos Araúz, former president of the National College of Lawyers, adds a legal nuance to the discussion and warns about unfounded accusations. «This is not an abstract issue. When it is said that 'drug trafficking controls decisions,' it must be specified which person convicted of drug trafficking participates in political decisions,» he explained. Araúz emphasizes that no one without a conviction can be labeled a drug trafficker, and that parties, as public institutions, face a dilemma: «How can one deny political participation to someone who has not been convicted of this crime?» In his view, the discussion has a more social than legal component, since in a state of law, «a person who has not been convicted has the same rights as any other citizen.» From a judicial analysis perspective, Luis Fuentes Montenegro is categorical that the penetration has been going on for a long time. «It follows a deplorable path, and that motivates drug traffickers to enter politics to be impune.» Fuentes Montenegro held nothing back: «I believe it is shameless to investigate these cases. Some prosecutors, judges, and magistrates play along to curry favor with political power.» The four voices spoke loud and clear, providing a shared diagnosis: Panamanian politics has cracks through which drug trafficking has already seeped. The article «Panama on the edge of the abyss: organized crime takes control of party structures» was first published in La Verdad Panamá. Four lawyers uncover the raw picture of how drug trafficking pierces Panamanian political parties. Javier Collins Agnew La Verdad Panamá
