No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveSandinistas Complete Takeover of Supreme Court in Nicaragua

Sandinistas Complete Takeover of Supreme Court in Nicaragua

MANAGUA – Sandinista judges and ex-judges attempted to “legalize” their de facto takeover of Nicaragua’s highest tribunal Wednesday by electing Sandinista judge Alba Luz Ramos as the new president of the Supreme Court.

The vote, which was approved by a group of eight Sandinista judges – including two ex-magistrates who keep showing up for work – was boycotted by opposition judges, who insist the Supreme Court has been illegally constituted since last April.

The Sandinistas argue that they represent the majority of seats on the Supreme Court and thus have enough votes to elect a new directorate, even if the opposition continues to boycott the sessions. Ramos, who has been acting as the de facto head of the court since April, was ratified by the Sandinistas to continue the job, only now with her title made official.

Sandinista judge Alba Luz Ramos

Sandinista judge Alba Luz Ramos is named president of Nicaragua’s Supreme Court by her Sandinista collegues. Analyst claim her appointment is illegal. Tim Rogers / Nica Times

The Sandinistas also elected a new Supreme Court vice president and shuffled several other judges in and out of posts on lower courts.

Legal analysts argue that Nicaragua’s Supreme Court and everything it does is illegal. Since the two Sandinista ex-judges refused to hand in their gavel last April when their judgeships expired, the Supreme Court has dissolved into a self-appointed Sandinista kangaroo court that’s operating completely above the law, analysts argue (NT, April 23).

“Nicaragua has lost all its institutional legitimacy and rule of law,” said constitutional analyst Gabriel Alvarez. “This has become a de facto state where government decisions are made by force.”

“A bad tree can’t produce good fruit and an illegal court can’t pass legal resolutions,” judicial analyst Sergio García told The Nica Times Wednesday.

García, who recently tore up his license to practice law in protest of what he calls a state of complete lawlessness in Nicaragua, said the Supreme Court and the Constitution have been so abused that there is “no legal way out of the problem anymore.”

“Nicaragua is in a complete de facto state,” he said. “There is no rule of law or democracy here anymore and we are only one step away from a coup or civil war.”

Read this Friday’s Nica Times for more on Nicaragua’s de facto state and Ortega’s fear of a coup.

Trending Now

Honduras Community Demands Justice in Environmental Murder Case

Three defendants accused of murdering an environmental activist in Honduras 11 months ago appeared before a court this Thursday for a preliminary hearing, the...

Costa Rica Replaces One-Lane Bridges as Traffic and Population Grow

As the infrastructure of Costa Rica advances, with new four-lane highways and a series of bypasses around San José that avoid the narrow, congested...

Fan Violence in Latin American Football Spurs Debate on Security and Culture

Images of a fan jumping from the stands to escape a beating as bottles, rocks and seats fly through the air at a game...

Panama Canal Warns of Traffic Decline as Economic Uncertainty Grows

The Panama Canal will take in about $400 million less in the next fiscal year due to a drop in ship traffic caused by...

President Chaves Downplays Costa Rica’s Security Crisis Amid Record Homicides

President Rodrigo Chaves brushed off concerns about Costa Rica's surging violence during his Wednesday press conference, insisting the security situation "is not as serious"...

Panama Union Files Lawsuits Against Chiquita Over Mass Layoffs

Panama’s President, José Raúl Mulino, will meet in Brazil with U.S. banana company Chiquita Brands in search of an agreement for the company to...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica