Page 58 - Anatomy-of-a-Fraud

4. THE ELECTORAL TRIBUNAL

Who shouldered the awesome responsibility of presiding over an event of such
far-reaching national significance as the first presidential election in 16 years? What
were their backgrounds, their experience, their objectivity, their ideological
commitment to the democratic principles they were called upon to protect and defend?

A. 2 + 0 = 3

Following Royo’s hasty departure from the Herons Palace in July 1982,
Paredes, at that time still Commander in Chief of the National Guard, “instructed”
freshly sworn in President de la Espriella to make certain changes in the civil service,
ostensible to foster the process of national democratization.

The instructions publicly given de la Espriella –through a radio and
television network– included the reorganization of the Electoral Tribunal. At that
time, an agitated and perspiring Paredes also ordered –with the infamous dictatorial
“right away” – all newspapers closed for one week. Actually, what he ordered was
the closing of La Prensa, for the ERSA papers and La Estrella de Panamá did not
represent any problems for him.

The Electoral Tribunal was indeed reorganized but the changes it underwent
did not alter its essence, which was –and continues to be– total and complete
submission to the wishes of the Defense Forces General Staff.

The National Constitution stipulates that the three justices sitting in the
Electoral Tribunal are to be appointed by the Executive, Legislative and Judicial
powers of government, respectively. De la Espriella offered to appoint his justice on
the advice of the opposition parties and invited them to suggest names. Unfortunately,
the different opposition parties could not reach an agreement. Faced with this, César
Quintero, who did appear in the list of names drawn up by the opposition, was
appointed at the government’s request and charged with amending the Constitution.

Quintero replaced the late justice Luis Carlos Noriega, a brother of General
Noriega, who at that very time was biding his time and making ready to pounce on
Rubén Darío Paredes. In addition to his obvious connection to the Defense Forces and
the partiality that it entailed, Justice Noriega’s image had been greatly damaged a
month and half earlier by the disclosure that he had a four-million-dollar bank account
even though, ostensibly, he was nothing more than a modest mid-level civil servant.
Moreover, Justice Noriega had presided over the Electoral Tribunal during the
scandalous and fraudulent registration of the Panameñista Party. In other words, his
presence did not tend to ensure the Tribunal’s impartiality, and the news of his
departure was well received by the community.