Legal Proceedings Initiated Against Professionals in Trinidad & Tobago and Panama

The Public Ministry in Trinidad and Tobago filed an accusation and requested an oral public trial for lawyer Óscar Tuma, Alexandre Rodrigues Gómes and notaries Blanca Rossana Ozuna and María Luisa Verón, alleging they arranged transfers of properties and vehicles despite a judicial injunction that prohibited such transactions. Prosecutors say that Rodrigues Gómes, while in custody, coordinated the transfers using a forged registry entry to remove the injunction.

In Panama, a judge ordered the reopening of a criminal case against Rolando Rodríguez, director of the newspaper La Prensa, after the Public Ministry’s previous decision to archive the case was revoked. The renewed investigation concerns alleged defamation, slander, injury and psychological violence claims filed by Odila Castillo, with the court emphasizing the need to protect personal honor under the American Convention on Human Rights.

Both cases involve prosecutorial actions seeking accountability for alleged misconduct by legal and media professionals in the Caribbean region.