---
title: "Assembly Rejects Formal Summons as Panama’s Comptroller Dodges Questions Over Anti-Graft Interference"
date: 2026-04-13
author: ""
url: https://panamadaily.news/panama-comptroller-assembly-clash/
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Politics"
tags:
  - "Anel Flores"
  - "anti-corruption"
  - "José Gabriel Carrizo"
  - "National Assembly"
  - "Panama politics"
---

# Assembly Rejects Formal Summons as Panama’s Comptroller Dodges Questions Over Anti-Graft Interference

## What Happened

Panama’s Comptroller General Anel Flores did not appear Monday before the National Assembly after lawmakers rejected a formal summons and later suspended a courtesy-of-the-floor proposal that would have allowed him to speak. The dispute centers on Flores’ interruption of an interview between an anticorruption prosecutor and two comptroller auditors who were discussing audits tied to the investigation of former Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo.

The interruption, which took place last Thursday, has triggered an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office and intensified criticism over possible interference in a judicial proceeding. Carrizo is being prosecuted for alleged unjustified enrichment.

## Political Clash in the Plenary

Lawmakers from the opposition Vamos bench had prepared to question Flores directly about the incident. Instead, Realizando Metas deputy Luis Eduardo Camacho moved to grant Flores a courtesy of the floor, and the proposal initially won majority support in the chamber. The plan later collapsed, and Flores did not come to the Assembly.

Camacho later said Flores had to return to the Comptroller’s Office because of traffic chaos near Cinta Costera and argued that Vamos lawmakers had chosen “the show” over hearing his explanation. By then, the courtesy arrangement had already been suspended.

Deputy Janine Prado, of Vamos, argued that Flores’ conduct was serious and described it as part of a broader pattern of institutional interference. She said the dispute was not about one individual, but about respect for the separation of powers and the credibility of the rule of law.

Prado’s faction had prepared 11 questions for Flores. When the vote was taken, 40 deputies rejected the effort to move forward with that line of questioning.

## Arguments From Both Sides

During the session, several Vamos deputies defended the need to summon the comptroller formally. Luis Duke said the chamber could not be complicit in what he described as direct interference by senior officials in judicial processes. He also pointed to prior discussions in the Assembly’s expanded board about bringing Flores before the plenary.

Support for Flores also came from within RM. Shirley Castañeda defended the comptroller and accused Vamos of showing disrespect by denying him the chance to explain his actions. She also displayed printed private conversations that she said involved Vamos leader Juan Diego Vásquez instructing his bench on the issue.

Vásquez responded publicly on X, saying he would file a criminal complaint against Castañeda. He also called Flores a coward and said the comptroller wanted to speak in the Assembly only through a monologue rather than by answering questions.

## Why It Matters

The confrontation has placed Panama’s institutional checks under fresh scrutiny at a politically sensitive moment. The Assembly that appointed Flores now finds itself divided over whether he should answer for actions linked to an ongoing corruption case involving a former vice president. The fight also reflects the growing tension between the legislative branch, the Comptroller’s Office, and anti-corruption investigators as public pressure builds around accountability at the top levels of government.

For now, the dispute leaves Flores under fire and the Assembly polarized over how far lawmakers should go in demanding explanations from one of the country’s most powerful oversight officials.