THE UNIVERSITY of Panama was given just two hours The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) ordered the Academic Council of the University of Panama (UP) immediately to suspend the course of the disciplinary proceedings against Professor Miguel Antonio Bernal.

The Academic Council suspended Bernal for five years for “disciplinary”. The Supreme Court ordered the Academic Council to take action within two hours of notification of the resolution and warned that failure to comply with the measure, may be punished for contempt.
Article 2632 of the Judicial Code provides that "officials who refuse to obey the order of suspension or refuse to comply to abide by and comply with the court decision, in case the material order of the claim for protection is revoked, They shall be punished by a fine for contempt of 25-500 Balboas, imposed by the court or trial judge.”

Lawyer Rita Isabel Jaén Chong, presented a complaint over "the conduct of the Academic Council of the UP taking decisions in disciplinary proceedings against the professor M when he enjoyed immunity electoral courts immunity  and could not be processed or handled, without prior permission of the Electoral Tribunal ".

Bernal enjoyed immunity after participating as a representative of the independent deputy Ana Matilde Gomez in the 2014 elections.

The Bernal  confrontation with UP authorities was initiated on March 23, 2004, after the Commission of Disciplinary Matters UP opened a process to sanction Bernal for involving the rector Garcia de Paredes and members of the Academic Council on charges of alleged corruption.
The April 28, 2004, the Academic Council forwarded the process to the Supreme Court to resolve a warning of unconstitutionality presented by Bernal. The appeal was denied the and 10 years later  the Academic Council of the UP suspended him.
Despite the measure, the professor went every day to teach at the Faculty of Law even though the rector named an alternate and has prevented entrance to the wing where he teaches