The rector of the International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP), Víctor Luna Barahona, has been denounced before the General Comptroller's Office for alleged meddling and interference in his entry into the teaching career and his categorization. The denouncers also indicated that in the coming dates they will present complaints and criminal charges against rector Víctor Luna Barahona for the situation described above. According to a complaint filed on March 19, 2026, Víctor Luna Barahona may have used his position to influence his own entry into the university teaching career and his categorization, despite lacking continuity and seniority as a teacher, and having lost acquired rights after his dismissal in 2015 as academic vice-rector. Documents provided, according to the complaint, reveal inconsistencies with the Organic Statute of UMIP and Law 38 of 2000, which regulates the functions of public servants and the general administrative procedure, affecting both the entry into the teaching career and the categorization of the rector. Notably, his entry into the teaching career was registered without being on the teaching payroll and prior to his actual entry. The resolutions that point out Luna Barahona's entry and categorization state in the operative part that the teaching position was 'to be created'. This detail highlights the direct economic benefit he could have obtained through the questioned processes. The analysis of the complaint, as the complainants emphasized, is based on the strict and literal fulfillment of current regulations, considering only authentic statutes and regulations, and rejecting any adulterated interpretation that might have justified the questioned processes. Among the evidence are internal resolutions, academic certificates, and official correspondence that show irregularities in the entry and categorization processes, seeking to determine if there were acts of irregular administration or violations of public faith. Specialists in administrative law point out that if these irregularities are confirmed, they could set a negative precedent for institutional management and affect the credibility of the selection, entry, and promotion processes for permanent teachers at UMIP. The complaint refers to specific regulations allegedly violated, such as Law 38 of 2000, Law 32 of 1984, the Organic Statute of UMIP, resolutions from the Academic Council, reports from the Teacher Categorization Commission, and articles of the Penal Code of Panama related to ideological falsification, document alteration, and incorrect application of legal norms. It is requested that the Comptroller's Office investigate not only the rector but also all public servants who participated in the processes of entry into the teaching career and categorization, ensuring that administrative decisions were adopted in compliance with legality and the principles of ethics and integrity. The investigation could establish responsibilities at all levels, from the General Secretariat and the Academic Vice-Rectorate to the members of the Teacher Categorization Commission, ensuring that administrative acts are auditable and reviewable. The complaint was filed by communicator Omar Wongwood, former Director of Public Relations at UMIP, and professor Marco Vigil, former president of the University Electoral Committee, with the aim of having the Comptroller's Office carry out the necessary oversight and guarantee transparency and legality in the entry and categorization processes within the institution. That is, he entered the teaching career in order to later be appointed as a teacher. Among the irregularities detected, according to the complaint, are the inappropriate application of criteria, the lack of documentation supporting the rector's permanence as a teacher, and the omission of regulatory procedures that guarantee transparency and legality in the entry and categorization processes. The complaint warns of the possible undue influence of rector Luna Barahona on the decisions made by public officials responsible for the processes of entry into the teaching career and categorization, and includes as subjects of the investigation all those involved in the process, from members of the Academic Council, personnel from the Human Resources of the General Secretariat, the Academic Vice-Rectorate, to the members of the Teacher Categorization Commission, in order to determine responsibilities in the adoption of decisions that may have favored the rector. According to the denouncers, this interference would have favored the categorization of the rector despite not meeting the seniority or continuity requirements, after having been dismissed in 2015, thus losing all acquired rights. During, according to the documents presented, in the last three years, rector Luna Barahona has been benefited with three promotions through consecutive teacher categorization processes. These promotions have granted him a direct salary increase, which would raise the monthly remuneration to over $6,000, when in a normal position teachers earn between B/.1,500 and B/.2,000 per month.
