The Ministry of Government and Justice of Panama (later the Ministry of Government) determines government policies and plans, as well as coordinates, directs and exercises administrative control over the provinces and indigenous regions in respect of their cultural patterns and integral development. Established in 1903, the ministry performs the following functions:
Ensure the rights and guarantees of the inhabitants of the Republic. Intervene in the granting of pardons for political crimes, reductions of sentences and conditional liberties to criminals of common crimes, as established in numeral 12 of article 184 of the Political Constitution. Coordinate the administration of custody centers for adults and adolescents deprived of liberty and develop resocialization policies. Coordinate relations between provincial governments and interjurisdictional issues. Participate in the evaluation of the structure of the provinces and counties and the preparation of national legislation related to their administration.
Additionally, the ministry oversees the Panamanian National Police (PNP), National Maritime Service (SMN), and National Air Service (SAN). There are certain instances in which the Ministry of Government and Justice will work in tandem with the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation. However, the ministry is politically accountable to the President whereas the Office of the Attorney General is not a part of the executive branch.
In February 2010, the new administration led by President Ricardo Martinelli proposed the Ministry of Government and Justice to be divided in two new Ministries: The Ministry of Public Security (in charge of security policies and affairs, also oversight of security forces and intelligence agencies including the National Police, National Border Service, National Aeronaval Service and the National Immigration Service) and the Ministry of Government (an executive branch in charge of themes related with public governance and internal). The Ministry of Public Security was formally created on April 14 the same year with the passage of Law no 15 by the National Assembly proving for its creation. And, the Ministry of Government was formally created formally created on May 3 the same year with the passage of Law no 19.
List of ministers List of ministers Name Year(s) of ServiceAldreano Robles MéndezRicardo J. AlfaroHarmodio AriasEusebio A. Morales1903-1917-1921Tomás A. Arias1904Santiago de la Guardia1905Ricardo Arias1906Aristides Arjona1908Ramón Valdés1909-1910Heliodoro Patiño1911Salvador Jurado1912Ramón F. Acevedo1913Francisco Filós1914Juan B. Sosa1915-1916Héctor Valdés1916-1917 / 1935-1937Roberto F. Chiari1923-1924Rafael Neira A.1924Carlos L. López1925-1928Andrés Robles1929-1930Daniel Ballen1930Francisco A. Paredes1931Guillermo Andreve1931-1932Juan A. Jiménez1933Galileo Solís1934-1935Leopoldo Arosemena1939Camilo De La Guardia1942Francisco A. Filós son1943-1945Alfonso Correa G.1945Carlos Sucre1946-1947Francisco Solís1947Jacinto López y León1948José Daniel Crespo1948-1949Abilio Bellido1949Alfredo Alemán1949-1951José C. de Obaldía1951Miguel Ángel Ordoñez1951-1952Raúl De Roux1952Catalina Arrocha Grael1952Alejandro R. Cantera1955-1956Max Heurtemate1956/1957/1958Humberto Fassano1957-1958José Dominador Bazán1959-1959 / 1965-1967Héctor Valdés1959-1960Marcos Aurelio Robles1960-1963Max Arosemena1963-1964Gonzalo Tapia1964-1964César Arrocha1964-1965Targidio Bernal1965-1965José Bazán1965-1967Fabio Velarde1967-1967Joaquín Franco1967-1968Eduardo Morgan1968-1969Modesto Justiniani1969-1969José Guillermo Aizpú1969-1969Pedro Julio Pérez1970-1970Alejandro Ferrer1970-1971Juan Materno Vásquez1971-1974Ricardo Rodríguez1974-1976 / 1980-1980Cesar Rodríguez1976-1976Jorge Castro1976-1978Adolfo Ahumada1978-1980Jorge E. Ritter1981-1982Fair Fidel Palacios1982-1983Carlos O. Tipaldos1983-1984Rodolfo Chiari1984-1984 / 1986-1989Carlos De Sedas, Son1984-1985Jorge Ricardo Riba1985-1986Renato Pereira1989Olmedo Miranda1989-1989Ricardo Arias Calderón1989-1991Juan Bautista Chevalier1991-1994Jacobo Salas1994Raúl Montenegro Diviazo1994-1998Mariela Sagel1998-1999Winston Spadafora Franco1999-2001Aníbal Salas2001-2002Arnulfo Escalona Ávila2002-2004Hector B. German E.2004-2005Olga Golcher2005-2007Daniel Delgado Diamond2007-2008Dilio Arcia Torres2008José Raúl Mulino2010-2010Roxana Méndez2010-2011 Jorge Ricardo Fábrega2011-2014 Milton Henríquez2014-2016 María Luisa Romero2017–present
See also Justice ministry Office of the Attorney General of the Nation (Panama) Politics of Panama
References