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Martinelli brothers’ escape plot foiled
Posted 02/07/2021
In coordination with United States intelligence agencies, the Guatemalan Ministry of the Interior has frustrated the escape plans of the brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares who have been held in a Guatemalan military prison since July 6, last year.
The CNN en Español journalist in Guatemala, Michelle Mendoza, was among the first to report on Thursday that the Guatemala Minister of the Interior, Gendri Reyes, revealed that a search had been carried out at the Mariscal Zavala military prison "to stop a plan to escape” of the dons of former President Ricardo Martinelli
The news was immediately confirmed by official Guatemalan sources, who were quoted by various local and international media, which gave more details of the story.
However, Marta Linares de Martinelli, mother of the detainees - who frequently visits them in Guatemala - denied the fact and issued a warning on Twitter: “This is totally false… There was a general search throughout the prison, which is usual there. No escape attempt, don't make up news” reports La Prensa.
The CNN report said, that the operation at the military base was carried out “based on an intelligence process with international agencies with the United States because there was information that the Martinelli brothers were planning their escape from the prison. ”.
Guatemalan journalistic sources informed La Prensa that, in effect, an alert reached the prison system, which led to the strengthening of surveillance and security measures at the military base where the Martinelli Linares brothers are held awaiting resolution of an extradition request from US prosecutors to face money laundering charges.
The alert of a possible escape was received by the Ministry of the Interior through US intelligence agencies was received on Wednesday and the security of the base was reinforced since that afternoon, with members of the State security, including the Ministry of Defense. confirmed spokesperson Pablo Castillo.
He added that it was “an imminent alert of the escape of the Martinelli Linares brothers. This led to a search at 6 am Thursday through units of the National Civil Police to confirm this information.
As a result of this search in the prison, they found, for example, checks with amounts in quetzals equivalent to more than $5,000 dollars, liquor, cell phones and accessories, Wi-Fi signal repeater, drugs, antennas, weapons, etc.
The escape plan was also denied by Denis Cuesy, a lawyer for the Martinelli Linares, to the journalist Ronny Ríos, from El Periódico de Guatemala.
The alleged escape plan would have been dismantled when little more than a month has passed since a Guatemalan court authorized the extradition to the United States of Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, a decision that is currently on appeal.
According to Castillo, when the search is completed, it will be decided whether the Martinelli Linares remain at the military base or are transferred to another prison.
Meanwhile, a complaint was filed against the director of the prison.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-brothers-escape-plot-foiled
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Business execs seek transparency in Ports contract extension
Posted 02/07/2021
A day after President Cortizo presented his report to the nation while glossing over the renewal of the Panama Ports contract the Panamanian Association of Business Executives (Apede) joined the voices that ask the Government for greater transparency and analysis of the automatic extension of the 25-year contract
Through a statement, released on July 2, the business union indicated that "there are no clear sources of information that define whether specialized audits have been carried out, which show that investments have been made in the port terminals concessions."
It gave as an example, the need for ports for vessels of greater draft, as this influences the competitive position in the maritime service.
It also considered that the audits should be carried out by independent entities, especially those specialized in port matters, “that verify compliance with the agreement; a process that must be executed with total transparency ”.
In the opinion of Apede members, there is no impediment for the Government to continue negotiating with the company "in order to reach new conditions that represent benefits for the Panamanian State."
"It is essential to clarify what will be the mechanism through which the new agreements will be incorporated into the current Contract Law," the statement added.
On June 23, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) authorized the automatic renewal of the contract with PPC to operate the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal for another 25 years.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/business-execs-seek-transparency-in-ports-contract-extension
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OPINION: The Panama Ports disgrace
Posted 01/07/2021
The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) maintains that the renewal of the Panama Ports Company (PPC) contract is automatic, that it does not require the intervention of the National Assembly. The clause to which the AMP refers textually states: “The parties agree that this contract will be automatically extended for an additional period of twenty-five (25) years under the same terms and conditions, as long as the company has complied with all its obligations. basic in accordance with this contract ”.It goes without saying that PPC did not meet its commitments, which included, according to the contract, paying a fixed annuity of $22.2 million that, in addition, had to be reviewed every five years, with which, this could vary, based on the average of the consumer price index for the previous five years, up to a maximum of 10%. It also included a variable annuity, consisting of 10% of the gross receipts from all sources of income that come from the activities carried out by the company in ports. For years, Panama did not receive a penny for those obligations, but even so, government negotiators did not object. They are a complete disgrace! LA PRENSA, Jul. 1
https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/opinion-the-panama-ports-disgrace
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Request to declare Martinelli “in absentia” denied
Aurelio Vásquez
Posted 30/06/2021
The prosecution and plaintiffs called on the judges in the wiretapping trial of former president Ricardo Martinelli to declare him in absentia after they received a report prepared by the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf), detailing that his spinal operation on Sunday, June 20 - two days before his scheduled court appearance - was elective.
The report was read on Wednesday, June 30, by Judge Ibeth Francois Vega, in a "communication hearing" convened by the court.
When the prosecutor Aurelio Vásquez and the plaintiffs learned that the operation was elective and not urgent, they asked the court to declare Martinelli “in absentia” and to suspend the statute of limitations for the criminal action
Luis Eduardo Camacho González, Martinelli's lawyer, asked the judges to reject these claims and asked to postpone his client's trial until after July 20 which was granted.
The court declared a recess to evaluate both applications.
Camacho González once again has the power to act in the case, since in recent weeks, the only attorney for Martinelli to act in the process was Alma Cortés.
Carlos Carrillo, Alfredo Bernal, Roniel Ortiz, and Sidney Sittón also returned to the team with Camacho. Cortés remains on the team. Everyone was present except Sittón.
Shortly before the start of the hearing, Carlos Herrera Morán, the lawyer for the complainant victims, indicated that if the operation was elective, “this clearly demonstrates that he [Martinelli], deliberately, was hospitalized to avoid the rigors of justice.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/request-to-declare-martinelli-in-absentia-denied-1
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Health experts will determine if Cucalón fit for jail
Posted 30/06/2021
A compliance judge ordered, on Tuesday, June 29, that experts from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf) carry out a medical-legal clarification to determine if the former director of the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI), Luis Cucalón , can serve his sentence in a penitentiary.
A compliance judge ordered, on Tuesday, June 29, that experts from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf) carry out a medical-legal clarification to determine if the former director of the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI), Luis Cucalón , can serve his sentence in a penitentiary.
The decision of the compliance judge Roberto Sánchez was taken this Tuesday during a control and verification hearing followed by Cucalón, who was punished for the crime against the public administration, in the form of embezzlement and corruption of public servants, to the detriment of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Cucalón gained additional notoriety when avoided numerous trial dates by hiding for two years behind the walls of the Punta Pacific Hospital, the present home of Ricardo Martinelli
Sánchez set for next Wednesday, August 4, at 10:00 am, a new control and verification hearing, in order to have the information requested from the Imelcf experts.
During the hearing, the Public Ministry was represented by the Anticorruption prosecutor, Anilú Batista Carles, while the private defense was in charge of Ángel Calderón.
On September 14, 2018, Cucalón was declared criminally responsible and sentenced by the First Criminal Circuit Court of Panama to 96 months in prison. While, on May 7, 2020, Sánchez granted the domiciliary deposit measure in favor of Cucalón.
The decision of the compliance judge Roberto Sánchez was take on Tuesday during a control and verification on hearing followed by Cucalón, who was punished for the crime against the public administration, in the form of embezzlement and corruption of public servants, to the detriment of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Sánchez set for next Wednesday, August 4, a new control and verification hearing, in order to have the information requested from the Imelcf experts.
On September 14, 2018, Cucalón was declared criminally responsible and sentenced by the First Criminal Circuit Court of Panama to 96 months in prison. While, on May 7, 2020, Sánchez granted the home arrest measure in favor of Cucalón.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/health-experts-will-determine-if-cucalon-fit-for-jail
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OPINION: Questionable "works of art"
Posted 29/06/2021
In the Ministry of the Presidency – in charge of the Vice President of the Republic, José Gabriel Carrizo –, the imagination has reached its limit. With the following article of the Public Procurement Law, it is foreseen to grant a direct contract to a company that provides market research and communication services: “Acts or contracts that refer to works of art or technical works, the execution of which can only be entrusted to reputed artists and recognized professionals ”.If a survey is a work of art, we are in the presence, in turn, of another work of art in terms of legal interpretations. The Mercadeo Integral, SA contract, which is pending, is for $195,000, but in the past, this company received from this same ministry two contracts totaling $2.6 million to do the same work. It is already suspicious that the Presidency only has eyes for this company, so that, in addition, it allocates hundreds of thousands of dollars to superfluous expenses in the midst of the pandemic. Mr. Carrizo the untouchable, who still owes us an explanation of the new terms of the Panama Ports Company contract, has to add another one: what works of art will Mercadeo Integral, SA present to us? LA PRENSA, Jun. 29.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-questionable-works-of-art
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New Hospital del Niño hits another bump on 7-year road
Posted 29/06/2021
The new Hospital del Niño (HN) came to another bend in the tortuous seven-year path to the start of construction on Monday, June 28.
When doctors and administrators arrived at the Santo Tomas Hospital, considered a historical heritage site, they found the grounds occupied by machinery and construction workers busy cutting down trees. Doctors and staff gathered on the site to protest.
Meanwhile, Paul Gallardo the director of the Children’s Hospital outlined the ups and downs of the long struggle to get the project started.
The first tender for the design and construction was made in 2013 but it was born with a congenital defect because one of the buildings would have been built on one of the Santo Tomás Hospital grounds.
After complaints, a different tender was made for the design and development of plans. There were also some problems because the type of construction was not compatible with the guidelines established for buildings considered historical heritage said Dr Gallardo.
Later it was established that a restructuring would be carried out and it was modified by budgetary issues due to the current situation of the country.
It was originally a $614 million project but costs had to be lowered. Currently, the cost is estimated at $443 million, but that price only includes the construction of two towers: the HN tower, the parking lot, and the restoration of the gardens " which have always been included since the tender was made." Dr Gallardo told TVN
By 2010, the problem worsened after structural studies carried out by the Technological University and a foreign company, reaching the conclusion that the structures were sick, representing a structural risk, hence the urgency to build a new hospital.
Dr Gallardo also recalled that in 1979 an annex was built for a neonatal ward that was originally designed to serve 30 or 40 patients, but currently there are between 80 and 90.
The new hospital is, looking at international standards, has a 100% occupancy of beds in general pediatric and intensive care rooms, which represents a great risk for the country, because it is the main reference pediatric hospital in the whole nation.
On Tuesday, June 29, 72 children were in pediatric intensive care wards, of which 50 are connected to a ventilator.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/new-hospital-del-nino-hits-another-bump-on-7-year-road
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Judges unanimously reject Martinelli’s latest ploy
Posted 29/06/2021
Desperate to avoid a retrial for alleged political espionage former president Ricardo Martinelli made a last gasp attempt on Tuesday June 29 to stave off the hearing set for July 5.
The three judges that make up the court unanimously rejected a request presented by the former president that would have removed them from the case.
The judges Iveth Francois Vega, Jennifer Saavedra Naranjo, and Marisol Osorio Leyton rejected “as inadmissible” a “nullity warning” presented by Alma Cortés, Martinelli's defender, since -according to the judges- the lawyer's claim does not explain how the appointment of the court of oral trial constitutes a vice or represents some damage to him.
The notice of nullity had originally been presented before the Superior Court of Appeals, which refused to hear the request and sent the file to the Oral Trial Court, for its attention.
The three judges are part of the Trial Court of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama, since it took office on September 2, 2016, with the entry into force of the adversarial criminal system in the province of Panama. Therefore, the court that they make up to try Martinelli is not "special or exceptional, therefore, it does not violate the principle of a natural judge."
Iveth Francois Vega, Jennifer Saavedra Naranjo, and Marisol Osorio Leyton were assigned to form the court in the oral trial of Martinelli, on June 11.
On several occasions Martinelli has tried to suspend the trial, claiming that the case be prescribed or that the charges were never formally imputed. These arguments have been consistently rejected by the judges and magistrates. The last time occurred on June 28, when the Superior Court of Appeals once again rejected an appeal based on the alleged lack of imputation of the former president.
The case, according to the courts, will prescribe in early 2022.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/judges-unanimously-reject-martinellis-latest-ploy
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OPINION: President deaf to Ports outcry
President Nito Cortizo
Posted 28/06/2021
The renewal of the port concession contract to Panama Ports Company (PPC) has had the population fired up for a whole week, as the terms in which it was negotiated are unknown. Everyone demands an explanation, as well as a copy of the commitments made by the parties, but they do not appear. But worst of all is the scandalous fact that the President, aware of the collective anger that exists over this matter, has not demanded of his vice president, minister of the Presidency, and president of the board of directors of the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), José Gabriel Carrizo, to give the necessary explanations, instead of allowing him to hide behind a statement and an expensive advertising campaign that tries to convince us that we have a gold mine in our hands. This topic smells very bad, starting with the President's deafness in the face of so much protest, and continuing with the fact that one of the state negotiators is, simultaneously, a member of the PPC and the WAP boards of directors. Is it that nobody was interested in the serious conflict of interest of the Minister-Counselor José Alejandro Rojas Pardini? The entire board of the AMP, including those who separated from the negotiation, owe explanations to the country. What do you expect to give them? The indifference and how crooked this government is is very worrying. including those who separated from the negotiation, they owe explanations to the country. What do you expect to give them? – LA PRENSA, Jun. 28.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/opinion-president-deaf-to-ports-outcry
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Beware! Martinelli, The King of Lawsuits
Posted 28/06/2021
In November 2019, after being declared “not guilty” in the case of the punctures, Ricardo Martinelli sued the then magistrates Jerónimo Mejía and Harry Díaz, the former, a judge of guarantees, and the latter, a prosecutor in the same case, when still the Supreme Court had the jurisdiction to investigate it. Martinelli accused them of abuse of authority and infringement of their public duties. He asked for compensation of $10 million each.
Until July 2020, Martinelli had sued, recused and complained against the special anti-corruption prosecutor Tania Sterling, for the Odebrecht case, in which he is accused. Martinelli demands $10 million for alleged "moral, psychological, commercial, business, social, family and political damage." Up to two doctors from the Institute of Legal Medicine have been sued by him. He also sued the former attorney Kenia Porcell several times, and his lawyers have filed complaints and lawsuits against former President Juan Carlos Varela, including an alleged murder attempt against Martinelli.
His lawyers have sued and denounced former Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, who is required to pay $20 million for alleged crimes against honor, abuse of authority, omission of public functions and violation of the right of defense. Varela and De Saint Malo have also been denounced by these lawyers for drug-related crimes.
Also on the list is Rolando López, former director of the National Security Council in the Varela government, as well as Fernando Berguido, former Panamanian ambassador to Italy. To all these complaints are added dozens of complaints against journalists, columnists, the media, cartoonists, bloggers and tweeters. They are tens of millions of dollars more than he demands in compensation.
These cases are far from all. A single person has crammed the system with legal actions that have consequences such as terrorizing, threatening, and self-censorship. But whatever your goals, I'm very curious why you haven't sued Vice President Gaby Carrizo.
Since Martinelli was summoned to the second trial for the punctures, Carrizo has been singled out by him as the manager behind the scenes of this second episode. "I blame you Gaby Carrizo and [the magistrate] María Eugenia López, you two are responsible," published Panama America , his main propaganda outlet, quoting the chief. What does Martinelli know about Carrizo? Why are you accusing him of being the one behind your next trial?
Martinelli has the human, legal, financial, and perhaps even factual resources to bring him before a judge and indict him, instead of calling him names and gossiping. I recognize that it would be a trial with little chance of winning, but, at least, the whole country would find out about the plot, which according to him, is against him. So I wonder why the king of lawsuits doesn't touch Carrizo a hair. What are you afraid of? Rolando Rodriguez. La Prensa
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/beware-martinelli-the-king-of-lawsuits
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Court denies Martinelli’s fourth attempt to avoid trial
Posted 28/06/2021
The Superior Court of Appeals of the First Judicial District unanimously confirmed, on Monday, June 28, the decision taken by the guarantee judge María José Urbina, who denied former president Ricardo Martinelli the prescription of the criminal action in the puncture [wiretapping ] case.
Earlier the three magistrates: Geovanina Antinori, Omaira Jaramillo and Manuel Sánchez. had accepted the factual appeal presented by the defense of Martinelli against the decision of Judge Urbina who, on June 18, denied declaring the prescription of the criminal action.
The hearing took place virtually; Martinelli did not participate, as he was incapacitated.
It was the fourth hearing requested - in less than a month - by the defense of the former president to air legal appeals related to the process that is being followed for alleged political espionage.
On May 18, another guarantee Elkis Martínez denied the first appeal for criminal statute of limitations presented by the lawyer Alma Cortés. That decision was appealed to the Superior Court of Appeals, which on June 4 confirmed Judge Martínez's ruling.
In this case, Martinelli had to appear for trial on June 22, but that court appointment was not attended by the ex-president or by his lawyer, after the presentation of two medical certificates.
As a result, the trial court ordered the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences to conduct a health examination of the former president and appoint two public defenders.
The results of the evaluations will be known on Wednesday, June 30 at a hearing on the subject, while the trial will resume on July 5.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/court-denies-martinellis-fourth-attempt-to-avoid-trial
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Panama Ports sweetens the pot with $150 million
Posted 27/06/2021
The Panama Ports Company (PPC) since May 21 sent the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) two pot-sweetener checks with an extraordinary contribution of $150 million.
PPC delivered the checks with future transaction payments that were supposed to be unsecured did it a month before its contract was renewed for the next 25 years and while the AMP told the country that its board of directors was in permanent session, analyzing the request for an automatic extension for the port company to continue operating Balboa and Cristóbal.
The delivery of the checks was reported in Official Gazette 29316-B of June 25, 2021, in which the AMP resolution that supports the automatic renewal of the contract was published.
The contribution of $150 million is broken down as follows: $83 million correspond to 10% of the shareholding; $20 million in dividends paid in advance for the next five years, and a contribution of $27 million in dividends receivable from PPC, to “show solidarity in these critical times”; in addition to another contribution of $20 million for an educational program of the Government.
The $83 million corresponding to the 10% shareholding comes from profits that were accumulated over time and that had not been distributed. The compensation was made just before the contract expired, in 2022.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/panama-ports-sweetens-the-pot-with-150-million
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OPINION: Martinelli trial should be televised
Martinelli in between hospital and courtroom visits
Posted 27/06/2021
The significance of the forthcoming trial for the "punctures" [wiretaps]case is such that the court in the case should consider broadcasting it live so that all Panamanian society can witness the process. This was the case when the Supreme Court of Justice handled the case, but when it went down to the ordinary courts, Panamanians could not see what was happening in the courtroom.
We all know what happened in the end, but it is important - precisely, to avoid the suspicion that the previous trial generated - to know what happens in the entire course of the trial. On the other hand, in order to avoid the defendant's evasiveness, the court should also evaluate new precautionary measures against him. No one in Panama is alien, thanks to their own publications on social networks, to the life of parties and parties that the accused has so that, at the time of the trial, pull up excuses that prevent the process from continuing, always issued by friendly doctors, who likewise show little respect for justice.
And it is that all this seeks to prolong the case until they reach what they desperately seek: the prescription of the criminal action. Therefore, it is necessary that every time you try to evade justice, the terms of the criminal action are also suspended. – LA PRENSA, Jun 27.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-martinelli-trial-should-be-televised
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The June 24th Community Chat was recorded. Here is the video of that presentation.
Global Food Providers (Dr. Daniel Daves) Contact Information:
- email: info@globalfoodproviders.com
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Expats rate Panama living
Posted 26/06/2021
The Expat Insider 2021 survey ranked Panama as the 19th country out of 59 nations in the world. The survey measures the opinions of expatriates, foreigners residing in the country for work or investment reasons.
Regarding their assessment of Panama, the facilities offered by the country to settle, as well as the environment in which they can develop their lives, were appreciated.
In the survey, applied to more than 12,000 expatriates in 174 countries, only 59 nations obtained enough responses for a statistically significant weight.
The countries in the top 10 positions, according to this study, were: Taiwan, Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Ecuador, Canada, and Vietnam, in that order.
As additional issues of concern in Panama, 27% of expatriates were dissatisfied with the transportation infrastructure in the country, compared to 15% globally.
But, 60% were satisfied with the quality of public transport in the main cities of the country, compared to 69% of the world average.
The Expat Insider survey measures 37 aspects that foreigners residing in each country must answer using an index from 1 to 7. In the technical sheet for Panama, to which La Prensa obtained access , this year a survey is included that asked about the effect of Covid-19. The results reveal interesting trends, highlighting that “Covid-19 has affected the relocation plans of foreigners in Panama: 17% have decided not to return to their countries of origin [in the short term] (vs. 18% globally); while 14% wanted to move to another country, but had to abandon their plans (vs. 8% globally) ”. The responses to the survey indicate that the greatest impact of Covid-19 in Panama was on travel plans (28%) and on social life (25%).
Financial outlook
Additionally, 23% of those surveyed are concerned about their long-term financial prospects in Panama, compared to 11% globally of expatriates. The study revealed that 52% of expatriates in Panama are satisfied with the official communication about the pandemic and the rules applied to face it, while the world average for this same topic is 66%. Almost half of those surveyed, 49%, say they get their information about the pandemic from traditional media, and 46% do so primarily from digital media and social media. In a very prominent figure for Panama, 31% indicated that they obtain information about the pandemic from friends and neighbors, when the world average, is 19%.
For 2021, the survey evaluated the quality of life index, in which Panama ranked 26; Regarding the ease of settling in the country, Panama obtained the 14th position; while in the measurement of work abroad, the country obtained its lowest rating, occupying position 44 on the list. In terms of personal finances, expatriates ranked Panama in 15th place out of 59 countries in the world, and in terms of cost of living, the valuation placed the country in 34th position.
Expat Insider is an annual survey that has been conducted since 2014 by InterNations, an organization based in Munich, Germany
https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/expats-rate-panama-living
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Cinta Costera unfulfilled restaurant will house art museum
Posted 26/06/2021
A building in the Mirador del Pacifico on the Cinta Costera , intended to be a restaurant will become the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC).
The structure’s that estimated cost was $2 million, although since 2014 - when the project was delivered by Odebrecht to the State – the property, under the administration of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), was abandoned and presented advanced deterioration. The Ministry has transferred the property to the Ministry of Culture whose minister Carlos Aguilar, is planning to make a large investment - the amount was not specified - to revitalize the place so that all Panamanians can use it.
This location had been concessioned by Ricardo Martinelli's administration (2009-2014) to Odebrecht, the same one that built the building; However, due to citizen pressure and after the corruption scandals in, the administration of Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) suspended the contract.
Anayansi Chichaco, director of Museums of the Ministry of Culture, said that the current headquarters of the MAC has become too small and its board of directors was in search of a new place.
At the moment, the Ministry of Culture is evaluating with its legal team for how long they could assign this property to the MAC, although Chichaco said that generally, the period is for 20 or 25 years.
MAC Panama was born as the Panamanian Institute of Art (Panarte) in 1962, as a private non-profit entity, founded with the purpose of promoting the cultural development of the Panamanian community. Currently, its headquarters are in Ancón.
Cinta Costera had a total cost of $ 782 million, but only the Mirador del Pacífico, the name with which the MOP baptized the "tourist landfill" built near the Mercado del Marisco, cost $68.2 million.
The reports of that entity, dating from 2014, mention that only the fill of the breakwater represented $48.1 million. The building that would house the restaurant and which will now be the headquarters of the MAC cost $2 million and the “landscaping”, $7.7 million. The rest of the money - $10.4 million - went to paving, drainage, and earthmoving work.
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Panama Ports Company Contract Extended
The Panama Maritime Authority extended for a 25-year term and in favor of the Panama Ports Company, the contract for the development, construction, operation, administration and management of container terminals.
Thursday, June 24, 2021
The Board of Directors of the Panama Maritime Authority declared itself in permanent session as of May 27, 2021, for the purpose of analyzing compliance with Contract Law No. 5 of January 16, 1997, for the development, construction, operation, administration and management of container, ro-ro, passenger, bulk cargo and general cargo terminals with their respective infrastructure, installations, facilities and physical areas in the Ports of Balboa and Cristobal, between the State and the Panama Ports Company, S.A., according to an official statement.
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The document states that "... after more than 20 days of permanent session, today June 23, 2021 and after the presentations of the compliance audit reports by the Comptroller General of the Republic of Panama and the General Directorate of Ports and Auxiliary Maritime Industries of the Maritime Authority of Panama, in addition to the documental review and analysis of the projections of income to the State, the members of the Board of Directors unanimously recognize the fulfillment of the basic conditions of the contract and therefore authorize the Administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority to certify the validity of the second period of the concession contract."
In this second period of validity, the company will have to pay the State a minimum of $7 million per year in dividends, which will be formalized through the signing of a shareholders' agreement, and the rates for container movement of all container terminals in the Republic of Panama will be revised and updated, which will be effective as of 2022.
Based on the projections of income from tariffs (container movement, wharfage) and dividends from the contract in question, income to the State is estimated at over $800 million during the next 25 years, according to the new negotiations.https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Ports_Company_Contract_Extended
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Human Rights Museum directors resign alleging homophobia
Posted 25/06/2021
Four of the five members who resigned from the board of directors of the Fundación Democracia y Libertad, the entity that manages the Museum of Liberty and Human Rights, say that the position of the majority of its members does not respect or understand the basic principles of rights of all people, without distinction of gender or sexual orientation.
Betty Brannan Jaén de Berger , Daniel Pichel, Alonso Illueca, Nelva Marissa Araúz Reyes and Ricardo González de Mena left their positions on Wednesday, June 23. The five also made up the museum's content committee.
The group released a joint statement to announce that their resignation was due to disagreements with decisions adopted by the majority of the board of directors, after June 4, the day an event of the LGBTIQ + community was held. Four of them released the resignation letters that they sent to the president of the Raúl A. Morales R. Foundation.
Betty Brannan Jaén is the founder of the museum. She acknowledges that disputes within the board of directors for the recognition of the rights of the LGBTIQ + community were the reason why, in 2019, she resigned as president. Although they were difficult moments, then he was deluded with the incorporation of Alonso Illueca (October 2020) and Nelva Marissa Araúz Reyes (April 2021), both lawyers specializing in human rights, which - she thought - would allow the board of directors to handle the issues "With more, understanding and modernism." In that she was wrong.
“The majority position on this board of directors continues to be one that neither respects nor understands basic principles of human rights, and that - indeed - does not respect those of us who are committed to those principles. So in recent weeks, the majority of members of the board of directors have said deeply disrespectful and insulting things and even made a secret decision to surprise imposition as a fait accompli. When this last stage of insults, bad faith, and foul play are added to homophobia and misogyny already evident for some time, it is clear to me that I cannot continue in this directive, ”says Brannan Jaén in her note to Morales.
After the celebration of the LGBTIQ + movement, the majority of the board of directors authorized the celebration of an event of a “pro-family” movement, headed by Juan Francisco de la Guardia, who publicly rejects the union and the recognition of civil rights in couples of the same sex.
In his resignation letter, Illueca reports that the positions taken by a plural number of the board deviates from his vision and understanding of what a human rights museum should be, “where there should be no space for discrimination, homophobia, and misogyny ”.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/human-rights-museum-directors-resign-alleging-homophobia
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Panama stays on money laundering gray list
Posted 25/06/2021
Panama remains on the gray list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which identifies countries with deficiencies in their regimes for the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.
The update came on Friday, June 25, at the end of the second annual plenary meeting of the international organization.
When Panama entered the sanctioning list in June 2019, the country committed to the execution of an action plan to address the deficiencies detected.
This action plan consists of 15 points, of which 5 are fully met and 10 are partially met. The times originally agreed to complete the plan have already expired, confirmed the FATF. the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the entity that coordinates the strategy to strengthen the money laundering prevention regime and with regard to sanctioning lists, they have stressed that there is a sense of urgency to get out of the gray list, although there are no new specific deadlines for completing the plan.
The MEF recalled that "the FATF assesses countries based on their regulatory and institutional framework, as well as the effectiveness of their application." To improve Panama's position and the effectiveness of the legal framework, the MEF “has presented various legal modifications in order to optimize the domestic regulatory framework and ensure effective compliance with the anti-money laundering regime, against the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, "said the entity in a statement.
The next FATF plenary meeting is scheduled for October.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/panama-stays-on-money-laundering-gray-list
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Public defenders named for Martinelli trial
Posted 25/06/2021
Lawyers Rubén Gómez and Migdalis Gómez (not related) have been appointed by the Public Defense Institute as public defenders in the trial of former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), for alleged political espionage, in the last two years of his mandate.
The Gómez lawyers were assigned on Friday, in a distribution made among the group of public defenders. In this case, their workload and availability to participate in the Martinelli trial, which will resume on July 5, were taken into account.
The lottery is carried out in the Judicial Office, in alphabetical order, the same as that carried out to distribute files among the magistrates of the plenary session of the Supreme Court.
"Public defenders will receive the 27 volumes in the folder and other documentation, in order to guarantee an active defense if they were to intervene at the hearing," said a press release from the Judicial Branch, released on June 25.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/public-defenders-named-for-martinelli-trial
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Forensic doctors check on Martinelli
Posted 25/06/2021
Two forensic doctors from The Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf) visited Hospital Punta Pacifica on Thursday, June 24, two evaluate the condition of former President Ricardo Martinelli, who is being held for reported spinal surgery.
They will also report if the surgery was elective or emergency.
On Tuesday, June 22, the trial of Martinelli, for illegal interception of communications, was postponed until July 5.
Martinelli would have undergone spinal surgery on Sunday, Jun 20, and also reported another surgery for a hernia on June 1.
The trial court - assigned a public defender to Martinelli, who will represent him in the event that neither he nor his lawyers appear on the new trial date.
According to Martinelli's spokesman, Luis Eduardo Camacho, the former president will be "in recovery" for six months and then he will have to do therapy.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/forensic-doctors-check-on-martinelli
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The mirage of Ports Paradise
Posted 25/06/2021
The renewal of the concession to Panama Ports Compay (PPC) is a matter of national importance, especially because this company has blocked the attempts of the Panamanian State to establish other ports close to where it currently has those granted and to have laughed at Panamanians with ridiculous contributions in the years that Balboa and Cristóbal have been under is control.
That is why the Panama Maritime Authority, specifically the members of its board of directors, starting with the Vice President of the Republic and Minister of the Presidency, José Gabriel Carrizo, have had to call a press conference to answer the concerns and disclose the documents that support the continuity of the concession and the names of those who gave their approval to this company. If everything is as wonderful as they paint it, the logical thing is to disclose the reason for so much joy and satisfy the questions or doubts that have arisen. But instead, they continue to say nothing and hide behind a statement that, as the saying goes, paper holds everything. Their attitude, far from telling us that everything is fine, tells us that there is a cat locked up and that the paradise they describe to us is just a mirage. – LA PRENSA, June 25.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/the-mirage-of-ports-paradise
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The “untouchable” doctor
Posted 24/06/2021
The doctor Eyra Ruiz is not an incumbent minister, but it seems that so far she can do what she wants in the public administration because she is a member of the PRD and is part of the central committee of the ruling party.
She is just a demonstration that in Panama there are plenty of untouchables.
The official has done what she wanted in the management of Nito Cortizo, from attending while in full quarantine, the funeral of a co-party member assassinated by hitmen in full quarantine to authorizing vaccines for the deputies, which was classified as clandestine by the president himself and her boss, the Minister of Health was not even informed.
Dr. Ruiz represents everything that a government facing the covid-19 pandemic should not be because the message is opposite and contradictory when citizens and businessmen are asked to comply with the law, while they do what they want and rub it into others without any kind of blush.
We are still waiting for the president to dare to govern and send officials like this home. Otherwise, they are seen to be cut from the same piece of cloth. - MI DIARIO, Jun. 24.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/the-untouchable-doctor
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OPINION: Explanations needed for renewal of ports contract
Posted 24/06/2021
Finally, Panama Ports Company (PPC) obtained the renewal of the operation contract for the Balboa and Cristóbal ports. Its current terms appear to have met the expectations of the company, but little is known about the benefits that the State will receive, except that PPC promised to pay a minimum of million in dividends, which represent about $175 million in 25 years, a sum that it is not the least bit impressive, considering this company's poor compliance record, despite the Comptroller's assurance that it fulfilled all of its obligations. The truth is that PPC paid its first million to Panama just 6 years ago, that is, it stopped paying the State for 18 years. As for its investments, PPC did not make them just to fulfill the contract. These respond to strictly commercial reasons - I would never have built facilities to keep them idle, without use.
It is clear that their business grew in our ports, but Panama has suffered the loss of its interests due to the unscrupulous conduct of this company, which has treated its partner with great contempt. The Government owes us, more than a statement, comprehensive explanations on the renewal of this contract. – LA PRENSA, Jun. 24
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-explanations-needed-for-renewal-of-ports-contract
Panama's Dairy Industry - Domestic Production, Importation, Consumption, Protective Tariffs, Subsidies, Labeling Issues, etc.
in Restaurants, Food / Groceries, Recipes, Food Supply Channels, Health Inspections / Suspensions, etc.
Posted
https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/dairy-company-workers-win-18-raise-over-4-years