NO ONE WOULD expect the fox to vote with the chickens in favor of hampering his thieving tactics, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the National Assembly deputies happily approved, on Tuesday, September 3,  a new  law  that continues to shield  them, the president, and , judges of the Supreme Court during criminal proceedings.

While the law does extend the time limit for conducting investigations of supposed malefactors from two to four months, it also establishes that precautionary measures in proceedings against deputies and judges can be applied only with the prior consent from the plenary of the National Assembly AND the Supreme Court. So the coven of foxes  can  carry on with their errant raids on the public purse, and the chickens can only stop them with their consent.

 National Bar Association President José Alberto Álvarez was quick to warn that these cases might become political, rather than ones based on the rule of law. "It will be almost impossible to investigate a judge," he said.

Former Supreme Court Justice Esmeralda de Troitiño agreed, saying  criminal investigations of politicians and judges will be  "somewhat illusory."

Meanwhile the chicken coop inhabitants are starting to wonder out loud when the ax is going to fall on King Fox and his inner coven, temporarily avoiding the hunt,  but hoping one day to return to ruling the roost.

As revelations continue to appear of alleged criminal activities linked to  Italy and, via Financial Pacific, to manipulation of shares listed on the New York, Toronto and Frankfurt stock exchanges and the mysterious “disappearance” of an auditor who first uncovered the scandal,   ex-president Ricardo Martinelli  has gone to ground in Miami, and as the hounds sniff around to confirm the trail leading to his bolt hole, he allegedly continues to work on his autobiography which could be published as The King  an  epilogue to   The Prince, Machiavelli’s treatise on strong rule, manipulation deceit and  treachery, a must read for the foxes.