Lawyer Moisés Bartlett presented a severe diagnosis of the state of justice administration in Panama during 2025, warning that the country is undergoing a process of institutional deterioration that limits any serious attempt to build a national vision with a true national project.
Bartlett maintained that the analysis of the justice system cannot be done in isolation or reduced to figures or temporary perceptions, but must be approached from a structural perspective.
“It is not enough for police to have taken courses or training; real technical competence is needed for this type of investigation,” he warned.
Urgent Restructuring of the Public Ministry
In this context, Bartlett raised the urgent need to review and restructure the auxiliaries of the Public Ministry, including the possibility of returning criminal investigations to a specialized technical body, as happens in other countries.
He stressed that the effectiveness of the Public Ministry does not depend solely on the Attorney General or the individual work of the prosecutors, but on the institutional structure that supports criminal investigations.
“The Attorney General's Office should not be measured only by the number of convictions obtained, but also by the quality of its investigations, even when these determine the lack of linkage, the absence of sufficient evidence, or the innocence of a citizen,” he emphasized.
Bartlett concluded that the Public Ministry has the constitutional obligation to develop objective investigations, beyond the pressure of public opinion, because justice must not only punish when appropriate, but also offer legal certainty and guarantees to the citizen.
Historical Deficit in Criminal Investigations
One of Bartlett's most critical points focused on the investigative capacity of the Public Ministry, which he described as a long-standing structural problem.
In his opinion, the crisis of justice is a direct consequence of the general institutional weakness of the Panamanian state.
“The Executive branch directs public works, international relations, and government management; the Supreme Court administers justice; the Legislative branch fulfills constitutional functions; and within the judicial system, the Attorney General's Office of the Nation exercises criminal action. He recognized that during 2025 both bodies have made efforts, but insisted that these must be evaluated with greater depth and without complacency.
In this sense, he considered it essential that the Public Ministry has a comprehensive management plan and a clear criminal investigation strategy, aimed not only at immediate results, but at building solid cases from a probatory standpoint.
“The main challenge for the Public Ministry for 2026 is to organize its corps of prosecutors under strategic management that allows the gathering of relevant evidence and the development of objective investigations,” he pointed out.
He also added that for the coming year, it is necessary to implement the Judicial Career plan, which must be part of the 2026 objectives.
Judicial Independence and Democracy in Tension
Bartlett also addressed the issue of real judicial independence, which must be analyzed within a broader context of the deterioration of the democratic system.
However, all these institutions require a profound update within a national vision,” he proposed.
Constituent Assembly as a Way Out, but with a National Character
In this scenario, Bartlett affirmed that it is valid and necessary to propose a state reform through a Constituent Assembly, as a mechanism to correct distortions accumulated in institutional functioning.
He mentioned the lack of resources in the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, a situation that limits permanent specialization and the training of auxiliaries in criminal investigations.
He also questioned the weakening of the Technical Judicial Police, which ceased to operate as a specialized entity to become a section of the National Police, affecting, in his words, the professionalism and technical capacity development of the first responder in investigations.
This deficit is especially visible in financial crimes, where proving the offense requires highly specialized personnel.
Javier Collins Agnew
La Verdad Panama
The lawyer Moisés Bartlett presented a severe diagnosis of the state of justice administration in Panama during 2025, warning that the country is going through a process of institutional deterioration that limits any serious attempt to build a national vision with a true national project.
Bartlett maintained that the analysis of the justice system cannot be done in isolation or reduced to figures or temporary perceptions, but must be approached from a structural perspective.
However, he expressed concern about how the debate has been approached.
“I am concerned that the Constituent Assembly is seen as a project driven by individual figures or renowned constitutionalists, and not as a true national effort,” he indicated, questioning how many real initiatives currently exist to build that national consensus that a reform of this magnitude requires.
Direct Impact on Justice Administration
The jurist explained that this institutional deficiency directly impacts both the administration of justice and the Attorney General's Office of the Nation.
