Panama’s traveling judge, clocks up frequent flyer points

SUPREME COURT president José Ayú Prado, managed to maintain his place as Panama’s most traveled judge during 2016, in spite of piled up case loads sitting in the court and in the face of ongoing criticism from civil groups.

Despite the questioning of various sectors of society, the judiciary continues to invest significant amounts of money in the payment of air and travel expenses abroad.

Between January and November 2016, it spent $493,000, according to official documents reports La Prensa and the chief justice  outshone his colleagues with  12 trips in 11 montha

According to the report, Ayu Prado traveled to Austria, the United States, Taiwan, Italy, Spain, Cuba, Peru, El Salvador, Paraguay, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, among other countries.

Other magistrates who frequently jumped on the tacx payer funded flying  gravy train are Cecilio Cedalise, Jerónimo Mejía, Hernán De León and Ángela Russo.