Fourteen candidates have put their names forward to replace three judges exiting Panama’s  Supreme Court (CSJ), widely seen as a flawed institution with an investigation currently underway into alleged bribery of at least three sitting members.

Among the aspirants, the best known is María de Lourdes Estrada, magistrate of the Second

Superior Court who has been constantly criticized for her controversial decisions in corruption cases, reports TVN.

Estrada was criticized for having endorsed a ruling that annulled an investigation into  14 people in the case of accounts linked to former Court Judge Alejandro Moncada Luna who was jailed for five years

Also on the list is Nelly Cedeño de Paredes, who has worked as a substitute magistrate in the Third Chamber and mainly in the Superior Family Court, is a university professor.

The call for applicants was made Monday, September 2. to fill the vacant posts of Jerónimo Mejía and Harry Díaz, both of the Criminal Chamber; and Abel Zamorano, of the Third Chamber whose name has surfaced in reports of bribery allegations.