Ana Matilde Gómez

Ana Matilde Gómez
Member of the National Assembly
In office
July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2019
PresidentJuan Carlos Varela
ConstituencyCircuit 8-7 (Ancón, Bella Vista, Betania, Calidonia, Curundú, El Chorrillo, Pueblo Nuevo, San Felipe, Santa Ana)
Attorney General of Panama
In office
January 3, 2005 – February 5, 2010
President
Preceded byJosé Antonio Sossa
Succeeded byGiuseppe Bonissi
Personal details
Born
Ana Matilde Gómez Ruiloba

(1962-11-05) November 5, 1962 (age 62)
Panama City, Panama
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
Francisco Sousa Lennox
​
​
(m. 2004)​
Children2
Education
OccupationLawyer, politician
Websitewww.anamatildegomez.com Edit this at Wikidata

Ana Matilde Gómez Ruiloba (born November 5, 1962) is a Panamanian lawyer and politician who served as the country's Attorney General from 2005 to 2010, and a deputy of the National Assembly from 2014 to 2019. She was a candidate for President of Panama in the 2019 general election.

Biography

Ana Matilde Gómez was born in Panama City on November 5, 1962. She holds a licentiate in law and political sciences and a master's degree in criminology, both from the University of Panama, and a diploma in human rights from the Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua.[1] She married pediatrician Francisco Sousa Lennox in 2004.[2]

She has held various public sector positions in the area of law, working within the Public Ministry as a scribe, senior officer, judicial secretary, municipal spokesperson, circuit court prosecutor, assistant district attorney, then as a corporate lawyer in the Interoceanic Region Authority and legal executive director of the Truth Commission.[3]

On the academic level, she has taught criminology and human rights at the Latin University of Panama. She practiced as a trial lawyer in the area of criminal law, and was a legal consultant for Panama Canal river basin improvement projects.[citation needed]

Attorney General of Panama

Gómez was the first woman to head the Office of the Attorney General, taking over on January 3, 2005.[1] Her term would have lasted until December 31, 2014, but on February 5, 2010, she left office by order of the Supreme Court [es], which suspended her during an investigation for abuse of authority.[4]

She was denounced by a prosecutor from La Chorrera, whom she had dismissed after he was caught soliciting a bribe from the father of a detained minor.[5] He accused Gómez after the Court ruled that the telephone interceptions that she ordered in the course of the investigation against him were illegal.[6] On August 11, 2009, the Supreme Court ordered Gómez's dismissal and sentenced her to six months in jail, commutable for a payment of 4,000 balboas.[7] In addition, in 2010 she was disqualified from holding public office for four years.[8]

On February 16, 2011, she filed a lawsuit against the Panamanian state in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the violation of its judicial guarantees in the process that removed her from office. She alleged that her dismissal and conviction were arbitrary.[9]

Member of the Legislative Assembly

On May 4, 2014, Gómez was elected to the National Assembly for Circuit 8-7, receiving more votes than any other deputy.[1][10] This was the subject of controversy, as several political analysts claimed that Gómez's candidacy was unconstitutional, since in 2010 she had been disqualified from holding public office.[8] However, a ruling by the Supreme Court reduced the original penalty of four years of disqualification to six months, enabling Gómez to take her seat in the National Assembly.[11]

As a deputy, Gómez was a defender of human rights, and introduced 36 bills.[12] She was also very critical toward other deputies, claiming that the National Assembly requires "profound changes" in its internal organic regime and in the form of election of deputies.[13]

Presidential candidacy

In August 2017, she announced her intention to become a candidate for President of Panama for the term 2019–2024 via free application.[14] On January 11, 2019, the Electoral Tribunal [es] announced that it had validated 131,415 signatures (meeting the requirement of 1% of votes cast in the last election), establishing Ana Matilde Gómez as one of the three free-application candidates for the presidency in the 2019 general election.[15][16]

She finished fifth overall, receiving 93,631 votes (4.7% of the total).[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ana Matilde Gómez: La diputada más votada que busca llegar a la silla presidencial" [Ana Matilde Gómez: The Most-Voted-For Deputy Who Seeks to Reach the Presidential Seat] (in Spanish). Eco TV. January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Oliveros C., Santos J. (April 16, 2019). "Francisco, el suspiro de amor de Ana Matilde" [Francisco, Ana Matilde's Sigh of Love]. Día a día (in Spanish). Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  3. ^ Martínez C., Oscar A. (December 22, 2004). "Voces a favor y en contra de Ana Matilde Gómez" [Voices For and Against Ana Matilde Gómez]. Panamá América (in Spanish). Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Lara, Denise (February 5, 2010). "Ana Matilde Gómez abandonó la Procuraduría" [Ana Matilde Gómez Leaves the Office of the Attorney General] (in Spanish). Telemetro. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Lara, Denise (February 5, 2010). "Procuradora Gómez fue notificada por Corte Suprema" [Attorney General Gómez Put on Notice By the Supreme Court] (in Spanish). Telemetro. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Otero, José (November 18, 2009). "Ex fiscal destituido declara contra Gómez" [Deposed Former Prosecutor Testifies Against Gómez]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "Condenan a Ana Matilde Gómez" [Ana Matilde Gómez Sentenced]. La Prensa (in Spanish). August 11, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Diputada más votada es objeto de demanda" [Most-Voted-For Deputy is Object of Complaint]. La Prensa (in Spanish). May 23, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  9. ^ "CIDH admite demanda de diputada Gómez por violación de sus derechos judiciales" [IACHR Accepts Suit by Deputy Gómez for Violation of Her Judicial Rights] (in Spanish). TVN. November 13, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "Ana Matilde Gómez sería la diputada más votada en Panamá" [Ana Matilde Gómez to Be the Most-Voted-For Deputy in Panama]. La Prensa (in Spanish). May 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  11. ^ Gutiérrez Sanjur, Jorge (May 30, 2014). "Corte habilita a Ana Matilde Gómez para ejercer cargos públicos" [Court Enables Ana Matilde Gómez to Hold Public Office] (in Spanish). TVN. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Moreno, I.P. de (October 4, 2016). "Por el rescate de recién nacidos que son abandonados" [For the Rescue of Newborns Who are Abandoned] (in Spanish). National Assembly. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  13. ^ "'La Asamblea requiere cambios profundos': Ana Matilde Gómez" ['The Assembly Requires Profound Changes': Ana Matilde Gómez] (in Spanish). TVN. October 8, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  14. ^ "Diputada Ana Matilde activa su aspiración presidencial" [Deputy Ana Matilde Acts on Her Presidential Aspiration]. En Segundos (in Spanish). August 4, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  15. ^ Gordón Guerrel, Ismael (January 11, 2019). "Se completa número de candidatos a la Presidencia" [Number of Candidates for the Presidency is Finalized]. La Estrella de Panamá (in Spanish). Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  16. ^ Vega Loo, Manuel (January 11, 2019). "TE confirma candidaturas de Gómez, Ameglio y Lombana; se depuraron más de 2.9 millones de firmas" [TE Confirms Candidacies of Gómez, Ameglio, and Lombana; More Than 2.9 Million Signatures Were Cleared]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  17. ^ "Elecciones Panamá 2019" (in Spanish). Observatorio de Gobierno. Retrieved January 23, 2020.