Panama Establishes a Legal Framework to Pursue Cybercrimes

Law 478 of 4 August 2025 reforms Panama’s Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code to establish a framework for addressing crimes committed through and involving data generated by computer systems.
From a data-privacy perspective, the reform is significant because it expressly establishes criminal offences involving unauthorized access to copying, interception or modification of a person’s digital identity, communications and data. The following new offences are central to that approach:
• Digital Impersonation. Using computer data, databases or a computer system (isolated hardware or hardware interconnected through software) unlawfully to impersonate another person is punishable by a prison sentence of 5–10 years.

• Unlawful interception. The unlawful interception, interruption or interference with data that is not publicly transmitted through computer systems is punishable by a prison sentence of 2–4 years.

• System Interference—Phishing and Ransomware Attacks. Obstructing or preventing the operation of all or part of a computer system, or copying, modifying or destroying computer data in transit or stored in a database, is punishable by a prison sentence of 2–4 years.
The sentences for the offences described above may be increased by up to one-third if the offences affect any of the following entities:
• Government Offices;
• Private or public institutions that provide public services;
• Banks; and
• Hospitals or any other entity that collects, stores or processes medical data.

Recommendation

Enforcement capacity: preserving evidence before it disappears
The practical importance of the reform lies in the legal tools available to investigate these cybercrimes. Law 478 authorizes the Public Prosecutor’s Office, within criminal investigations, to: (i) search or access computer systems, (ii) seize stored computer data, and (iii) store and preserve copies, all via expedited procedures.
These measures look to combat the main risks associated with cybercrime investigations: relevant evidence can be altered, dispersed across providers or lost unless authorities act promptly.

Lessons learned

A clear commitment to cybercrime enforcement
Law 478 not only expands Panama’s Criminal Code to include cybercrimes but also provides the tools needed to prosecute them properly. The reform further demonstrates Panama’s commitment to investigating and prosecuting cybercrime.

Article provided by INPLP member: Joaquin Sosa (Galindo, Arias & Lopez, Panama)