Ana Matilde Gómez | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Member of the National Assembly | |
In office July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2019 | |
President | Juan Carlos Varela |
Constituency | Circuit 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 by | José Antonio Sossa |
Succeeded by | Giuseppe Bonissi |
Personal details | |
Born | Ana Matilde Gómez Ruiloba November 5, 1962 Panama City, Panama |
Political party | Independent |
Spouse |
Francisco Sousa Lennox
(
m. 2004) |
Children | 2 |
Education | |
Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Website |
www |
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.
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]
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 , 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]
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]
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 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]
Ana Matilde Gómez | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Member of the National Assembly | |
In office July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2019 | |
President | Juan Carlos Varela |
Constituency | Circuit 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 by | José Antonio Sossa |
Succeeded by | Giuseppe Bonissi |
Personal details | |
Born | Ana Matilde Gómez Ruiloba November 5, 1962 Panama City, Panama |
Political party | Independent |
Spouse |
Francisco Sousa Lennox
(
m. 2004) |
Children | 2 |
Education | |
Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Website |
www |
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.
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]
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 , 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]
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]
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 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]