Panama Supreme Court Questions Constitutionality of Mayor's Municipal Police Force

Supreme Court magistrate Maribel Cornejo Batista warned that the municipal police created under Panama City Mayor Mayer Mizrachi’s Agreement 162 may violate the Constitution because the organization and functions of police forces are reserved for national legislation, not municipal regulations.

The Ministry of Public Security, represented by legal adviser Argentina Barrera, has filed a nullity suit in the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court challenging the agreement’s grant of powers such as searches, arrests and preventive detentions. The case, revived after violent incidents involving municipal agents, will determine whether the municipal police can legally operate.