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Panama’s artful dodger heads home again

Posted on December 17, 2017 in Panama

 

Virzi, charges like campaign medals

Post Views: 202

FORMER  vice-president  Felipe Pipo Virzi’s, long drawn out battle to avoid justice took another ponderous step sideways on Friday afternoon, December  15, as he once again walked out of the El Renacer prison and headed for the comforts of home, leaving behind a host of fellow members of the Martinelli inner circle, facing corruption charges totaling scores of millions of dollars.

Virzi had been in preventive detention, while under investigation by the Seventh Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, for alleged money laundering through alleged irregularities in the loan that the consortium HPCContratas-P & V received from the State Savings Bank, Caja de Ahorros for supposedly building a convention center … another venture involving key members of the inner circle.

The money was diverted in  2012 to the now liquidated securities brokerage Financial Pacific.

The defense of Virzi, engaged in what appears to be a war of legal attrition had requested bail from the Eighteenth Criminal Court. Alfredo Vallarino, Virzi’s lawyer, had also filed a writ of habeas corpus before the Supreme Court.

In November,  the Supreme Court granted him a habeas corpus with the impediment of not leaving the country without judicial authorization.

But Virzi, like Dickens’ Artful Dodger, is enmeshed in multiple criminal cases which he seems to flaunt like campaign medals.

He is in the sights of the First Prosecutor’s against Organized Crime in the so-called New Business case, related to the purchase of Editora Panamá América (Epasa) with alleged public funds, and there are others dating back to his involvement with now jailed ex-supreme court judge Moncada Luna.

“He is over 65 years of age, and should not be deprived of liberty unless the Public Ministry justifies such measure. Virzi has not failed to comply with his commitments to the processes, so there is not much to analyze, ” said the judge who granted him house arrest.

The last time Virzi got to go home he ended up facing new charges over events that took place while under house arrest. More campaign ribbons.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panamas-artful-dodger-heads-home

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Judge sends  ominous  “Crime Pays” message

Posted on December 17, 2017 in Panama

 

Embezzled millions, 5 years jail, possessions back

Post Views: 180

The return of a mansion,  bank accounts a Porsche,  a yacht silverware  and other symbols of wealth to a former government official convicted  of embezzlement  and money laundering  is proof that  “crime pays and generates a “picture of impunity” to  ordinary citizens, say leaders  of civil society reacting to a decision of Fifteenth Criminal Judge Leslie Loaiza, which spurred cries of outrage and disbelief

The beneficiary of the of the decision  is the former director  of the now-defunct National Assistance  Program (PAN) Rafael Guardia Jaen

For the  Anticorruption Prosecutor, the decision was is “incomprehensible” and an appeal was launched on the grounds that the judge acted “without having basic evidentiary support “that will prove that the goods were obtained “in a lawful manner”.

Olga de Obaldía, executive director of the Foundation for the Development of  Citizen Liberty The  Panamanian chapter of Transparency International, said:  “What sense of justice is there in the country when this happens?

“When” we have a judicial system “that is not working as it should be, democracy itself is in danger. ”

Anette Planells, of the Independent Movement (Movin), described as terrible the message sent by Judge Loaiza, in the sense that ” crime does pay.” … That one can pay a couple of years in jail and enjoy what you stole, ” she said.

Planells said she hopes that the Second Superior Court of Justice will accept the appeal presented by the MP and “keep the assets guarded, which belong to all Panamanians”.

She recalled that this is not the judge’s first controversial decision, in which he seems to help Guardia Jaén and to go against the citizens. “We regret that there is no ethics and discipline tribunal  of the Judicial Organ when  the magistrates have not implemented the judicial career “,

Jorge González, presidential spokesman, said that the decision adopted by Loaiza “is outrageous” and creates an ominous precedent. “The country deserves respect and an explanation, he said. Citizens hope that there is certainty of punishment and that the justice system works,” he added.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/judge-sends-ominous-crime-pays-message

4 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Panama wants LNG terminals at both ends of the Canal for power generation, and to become a distribution hub for countries to the south.

A pipeline between them might make sense.

There are other topics here on CL addressing the subject of LNG on both ends of the Panama Canal. Please see:

and

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Tourist robbery and rape earns 15 years for three

Posted on December 16, 2017 in Panama

Post Views: 366

 

JUSTICE was swift for three men charged  with robbing and raping a woman tourist in Santa Fe in the north of Veraguas on Sat

The suspects accepted their guilt and on Saturday, December 16 were sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The owner of a hostel in Santa Fe reported the disappearance of a tourist and began a search thinking that she had been dragged into the overflowing nearby  Bulaba  river.  The victim was rescued near the river, but the woman went to a hospital center and reported what had happened.  One of the detainees confessed to abusing the woman three times, and when she wrestled with him and hit him they fell into the river and were rescued at different points reports El Siglo.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/tourist-robbery-rape-earns-15-years-three

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The Panama Canal Is Now a Major Problem for U.S. Shale

By

Michael D McDonald

and

Naureen S Malik

December 8, 2017, 6:00 AM EST

• A boom in natural-gas exports creates new challenges
• Last-minute schedule changes for LNG tankers headed to Asia

It seemed at the time like a somewhat random, and amazingly fortuitous, coincidence.

Just as the Panama Canal was unveiling a new, fatter set of locks, U.S. shale drillers were readying their very first exports of liquefied natural gas. While the wide-body tankers that transport LNG would’ve had no chance of squeaking through the original steel locks built a century ago, they could easily traverse the bigger channel and shave 11 days off the trip to primary markets in Asia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction of a lock at the Panama Canal on April 7, 2016.

But 17 months in, it’s not quite working out as planned. Only a single LNG tanker has a guaranteed passage each day. The natural-gas industry blames the Panama Canal Authority for holdups, and the canal authority blames the industry for being lackadaisical about transit timetables.

Whoever’s at fault, this much is clear: The pressure is on both sides to resolve their problems. For gas exporters, it’s critical to establish credibility as a reliable new source of fuel for clients in Asia. For the canal authority, the stakes are high too, with Mexico and other countries flirting with creating alternative routes as gas demand booms.

“The canal surely has had some issues getting the new set of locks up and running smoothly,” said Peter Sand, an analyst with the shipping association BIMCO. “It has taken longer than the canal and the industry expected.”

The story starts at the opening in June 2016 of the expansion project. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the LNG market, just as Cheniere Energy Inc. was ramping up operations at the first export terminal ever built in the lower 48 states, at Sabine Pass on the Louisiana-Texas border.

Just One?

The Panama Canal Authority promised a dozen daily slots for ships of all stripes to pass through the new lane -- ultimately. So far, the maximum it has been able to handle every 24-hour period is eight; preparations are underway to move that up to 10 or more in 2019.

What rankles LNG companies is that they’ve been awarded just the single reserved slot, with the rest going to container ships that carry consumer goods from sneakers to refrigerators. One position isn’t sufficient now and will be wholly inadequate once all the new export terminals under construction go on line, said Octavio Simoes, president of Sempra LNG & Midstream, at a conference in October. He caused a ruckus when he warned that canal holdups could crimp sales and cost traders serious money.

Jorge Quijano, chief executive officer of the canal authority, fired back, saying there are no plans to boost reservations for LNG tankers -- and suggested there won’t be until they prove themselves worthy.

‘A Maybe’

“We can focus on giving them a second slot when they start to behave with a more contract-like pattern with their suppliers and buyers,” Quijano said from his office in Panama City. With container ships, “if they request a transit tomorrow, they’ll be there tomorrow.” LNG tankers, he said, “are a maybe.”

That’s not an accurate representation, according to the natural-gas industry. But canal operators do have to learn to be flexible, because exports from the U.S. will drive more spot trading, said Jason Feer, head of business intelligence at ship-broker Poten & Partners Inc. in Houston.

A decade ago, when the canal authority approved plans for the build-out, the U.S. was developing import terminals. The shale boom changed everything, and now the country is on track to become the world’s third-largest LNG supplier by 2020 -- up from zero at the start of 2016. That’s creating a new model for an industry that was once organized mostly around long-term contracts with set destinations.

New Terminals

“Can the canal adapt? Can traders?” Feer said. “I’m not saying it will inhibit the competitiveness of U.S. LNG -- but there may be instances where it’s hard or impossible to do a deal because you can’t get it there soon enough because of the canal.”

At Sempra, one of several terminal developers spending tens of billions on new Gulf Coast facilities, Simoes said he and others are working with the canal to find a solution to what he called growing pains. “My intent is not to be upset or disruptive,” he said, but “the Panama Canal needs to work faster to resolve the issues.”

Those include too few tugboats to escort ships through the enhanced waterway, according to tug captains and crew members. They’re not impressed that the authority has budgeted $87 million this year to purchase six tugs with the option to buy four more to expand the current fleet of 46; their estimate is 90 are needed to safely and efficiently handle more than 10 vessels a day.

LNG tankers also require special attention -- including tugs with fire-fighting capabilities -- because of what they carry.

‘Good Problem’

“You need state-of-the-art equipment and they are short,” said Don Marcus, president of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots, the union representing many tugboats workers in Panama. He said the canal is risking its own competitive future. “They’re not getting the most out of it because of these flaws, some of which could be fixed, but all of which cost money.”

At the moment, the authority isn’t flush. It has to pay off $2.3 billion in debt it took on to finance the expansion, with payments starting next year. But Quijano said the new lane will record $3 billion in revenue in fiscal 2018, $173 million more than in the previous fiscal year.

“The expansion’s capacity is going to be used much faster than anticipated,” he said. Unmet demand “is a good problem to have.”

Next year, he predicted, LNG volumes will grow by 10 percent. Natural-gas carriers have accounted for 8.6 percent of traffic through the new locks, according to authority data. Container ships represent more than half with vessels including cruise ships and private yachts making up the rest.

The authority’s current toll structure charges container ships substantially more. A fully loaded Neopanamax pays around $1.2 million to cross while a typical 170-cubic meter LNG carrier is charged around $460,000.

“There is a preference for the biggest users of the canal,” said Anders Boenaes, head of network for Maersk A/S, the world’s largest container-shipping company. “And I think that may be one of the reasons why there is noise among LNG carriers.”

The LNG industry and the canal authority “are both following a learning curve to manage additional volumes from the U.S.,” said Vincent Demoury, general delegate of the International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers. He said he’s confident solutions will be worked out.

Feer of Poten & Partners said that could happen. “The canal will change their processes, if it makes them more money.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-08/u-s-shale-has-a-panama-canal-problem-that-s-got-no-easy-fix

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Panama Strengthens Interdiction Capacities with Boston Whaler Boats

A donation of $1.8 million bolsters the National Air and Naval Service of Panama’s tactical response capacity in maritime interdiction.

Julieta Pelcastre/Diálogo | 7 December 2017

The United States donated two Boston Whaler boats and tactical equipment to the National Air and Naval Service to enhance Panama's response capacities in the fight against drug trafficking. (Photo: National Air and Naval Service of Panama)

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) donated tactical equipment valued at $1.8 million to the National Air and Naval Service of Panama (SENAN, per its Spanish acronym). On August 30th, the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Security Cooperation in Panama delivered two Boston Whaler boats to SENAN at the Second Lieutenant Rigoberto Castillo Shipyard, on Perico island. The vessels will begin surveillance work before 2017 ends.

 

“The donation of naval and communications equipment will increase our operational capacity for real-time joint and combined missions,” Commander Belsio González, general director of SENAN, told Diálogo. “Having assets with interdiction capacities will provide greater effectiveness and response to narcotrafficking alerts.”

 

The boats are 37 feet long and with a fiberglass hull. They are equipped with radios, radars, gun mounts, restrooms, and cabins to rest. They were assigned to the naval fleet that comprises the Maritime Interdiction Network (RIM, per its Spanish acronym) on the Pacific coast, to strengthen the tactical response capacity of the Special Boat Unit. The donation includes thermal binoculars and wireless broadband radios, as well as tractors for towing.

 

“They will exceed the propulsion and speed capabilities of the go-fast [boats] used to transport illicit drugs,” said Commissioner Juan Pino Forero, director of SENAN's National Intelligence Directorate. The new vessels join the eight speedboats used for maritime interdiction that Panama acquired starting in 2014, as part of its Multi-year Equipment Plan to expand its naval fleet.

 

“The aid from the United States government represents a mitigating factor to prevent drugs from transiting or entering the maritime jurisdiction of Panama or that of other countries in the region,” Commissioner Pino said. “This would cause structures dedicated to illicit trafficking to change their routes on open waters, prevent the entry of illicit drugs, and decrease the violence and negative impacts to society.”

 

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Central America has become a drug corridor due to its geographical location between the principal cocaine producers to the south and the principal cocaine consumers to the north. The main routes drug traffickers use go through Panama and the Pacific Ocean. In its 2016 annual report, the International Narcotics Control Board highlights Panamanian actions to prevent and suppress illicit drug trafficking.

 

Joint combined capacities

 

 Commandos from the National Air and Naval Service train to prevent narcotrafficking networks from using Panamanian waters. (Photo: National Air and Naval Service of Panama)

“SENAN’s security strategy, created in coordination with other security institutions of the Public Forces of Panama, showed joint combined capacities to conduct different operations,” Commander González explained. “By understanding our capacities and limitations, the lessons we learned gave us the experience to conduct law enforcement operations, control, and interdiction of illicit maritime trafficking along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.”

 

SENAN developed strategies to neutralize security threats and strengthen RIM’s capacities. It enhanced its air and naval fleet with greater capacities and autonomy, and improved its positioning through the establishment of air naval bases in strategic locations. SENAN also strengthened the bonds of collaboration with local intelligence agencies and those of partner nations to standardize information. In 2017, SENAN units played a pivotal role in seizing more than 22 metric tons of illicit substances in 66 strategic operations.

 

“A comparative evaluation of criminal drug trafficking behavior between 2014 and 2015 indicates an increase in counternarcotics operations with positive results,” Commissioner Pino said. “In 2015, authorities seized more than 15 metric tons of drugs in 44 operations.”

 

Beyond borders

 

Panama and the United States work to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against drugs and organized crime. SOUTHCOM supports SENAN with maintenance and repair projects for air and naval assets. SOUTHCOM also trains, advises on planning and procedures, contributes to the implementation of exercises for the security and defense of the Panama Canal, and supports professional exchanges to strengthen relationships among regional agencies.

 

“SOUTHCOM is considered a key ally for joint combined efforts in operational capacities, and for the help it provides in support of assets, operational collaboration, and intelligence to combat the threat of drug trafficking,” Commissioner Pino said. “Southern Command is a strategic partner whose values we share for more than 100 years. We work together for the well-being of our nations, the region, and the world,” Vice Minister of Public Security Jonattan Del Rosario said.

 

In February 2002, through the Salas-Becker Treaty, the governments of Panama and the United States formalized their agreement to jointly patrol Panamanian waters and fly over its airspace to monitor and intercept suspicious aircraft and ships. “The treaty helped prevent the transit of drugs from Panamanian waters to countries in Central America, Mexico, and the United States,” Commissioner Pino said.

 

Under the administration of President Juan Carlos Varela, countries in the region signed more than 20 agreements in the area of security, according to a press release from the Ministry of Public Security. “Security is about the level of cooperation and trust among government leaders, the security sector, and international bodies to devise plans that go beyond our borders,” said Minister of Public Security Alexis Bethancourt.

https://dialogo-americas.com/en/articles/panama-strengthens-interdiction-capacities-boston-whaler-boats

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A Natural Gas Terminal in the Pacific

The Panama Canal Authority is evaluating constructing a Liquefied Natural Gas supply terminal on the Pacific Coast, with an investment that could be around $100 million.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Oscar Bazán, executive vice president of Planning and Commercial Development of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), told Elcapitalfinanciero.com that "... they have already completed an exploratory study to determine the feasibility of installing a liquified natural gas supply terminal (LNG) on the Pacific coast. The study was conducted with cooperation funds from the United States Trade and Development Agency (Ustda)."

See also: "Natural gas plant delays start of operations"

The first objective of this project will be to supply natural gas to ships transiting the Canal. 

Bazán explained that "...The second function of the LNG terminal will be distribution of LNG to the region and ultimately supplying power to the city of Panama if the country so requires."

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/home/A_Natural_Gas_Terminal_in_the_Pacific

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/tsearch?q=Panama+Canal+Authority

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Natural Gas Plant Delays Start of Operations

The plant that AES Panama is building in Colón will start operating in August 2018 and not in May, as originally planned.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The company requested an extension from the National Public Services Authority (ASEP) to modify the commercial operation deadline, "... due to the complications that occurred in the construction of the transmission line which, according to the original design, incurred into lands belonging to the Waked Group."

Prensa.com reports that "... According to the initial layout, in the North Coast transmission line seven properties belonging to the Waked Group were affected by the development of transmission line. This required Gas Natural Atlántico to set up a special procedure with the OFAC of the US Department of the Treasury to allow for negotiation, construction and registration of the corresponding easement."

The plant, whose construction was started in May last year, will have three generators, three gas turbines and one steam turbine, reaching a total installed capacity of 381 MW.

https://centralamericadata.com/en/article/home/Planta_de_gas_natural_retrasa_inicio_de_operaciones

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Panama Breaks Ground on its LNG-to-Power Plant Project

Posted on May 27, 2016 with tags AES Colon, AES Corp, Gas Natural Atlantico, Panama.

The government of Panama said the construction began on the country’s first LNG-to-power project at the entrance of the Panama Canal in the Colon Province providing 350 MW of new capacity.

Built by AES Corporation’s Gas Natural Atlantico the project will include the construction of a 350 MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired plant with a 10-year power purchase agreement, and a 180,000 cbm LNG storage tank and regasification facility, to supply gas to the plant.

Panama’s president Juan Carlos Varela said that besides boosting the country’s energy diversification, the project opens the door for Panama to become an LNG distribution hub in the region.

Work on the project is expected to be completed in 2018 with a total cost ranging at around US$1.1 billion, the government informed.

In March this year, Engie signed a deal with Gas Natural Atlántico to provide up to 400,000 tons of LNG per year from 2018 on a 10-year period to power the project.

https://www.lngworldnews.com/panama-breaks-ground-at-its-lng-to-power-project/

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Construction begins on Panama’s first gas-fired power plant

05/31/2016

By Tildy Bayar
Deputy Editor

Panama’s first gas-fired power plant is set to come online by 2018 as construction work began last week.  

The $1.15bn, 381 MW combined-cycle plant is to be built by US-based power firm AES in collaboration with Panama’s Inversiones Bahia. Korean EPC firm Posco E&C will carry out the construction work.

The plant will be located on Telfers Island in the Caribbean province of Colon, around 80 km north of Panama City, and will include a 170,000 m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification facility, with LNG provided by France's Engie under a 10-year agreement. 

The plant’s power will be sold to Panama's state-owned utility Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica SA (ETESA) under a 10-year power purchase agreement, and is expected to power around 15 million households.  

Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela officially opened the beginning of construction last week, saying the plant would reduce the nation’s dependence on oil and boost its generation capacity by 30 per cent. 

On winning the tender for the plant in September 2015, Andrés Gluski, president and CEO of AES, said: “Together with our local partner, Inversiones Bahia, we will construct a low emission combined cycle power plant, which will be fueled by LNG via the new regasification terminal on Panama’s Atlantic coast.

“Building a state of the art LNG regasification terminal near the entrance of the enlarged Panama Canal will enable Panama to become an energy hub for Central America and the Caribbean,” he added.

Panama’s 2015-2020 National Energy Plan includes a focus on natural gas for the first time. Hydropower is the nation’s largest source of energy, contributing 53 per cent of the total generation mix, with oil-fired plants contributing 40 per cent.  

Under the Plan, Panama aims to generate at least 70 per cent of its power from renewable sources – largely hydropower, solar and wind – by 2020, and to reduce energy sector emissions. Environmental considerations were key for the new plant, AES said.

http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2016/05/construction-begins-on-panama-s-first-gas-fired-power-plant.html

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Alert closes beaches for five days

Posted on December 15, 2017 in Panama

Post Views: 447

BEACHES on Panama’s Caribbean coast will  be closed from Saturday, December 16 to Thursday, December 21 December, and The Emergency Operations Center (COE) of the National Civil Protection System

(Sinaproc)  will be hoisting the red flag . “which prohibits the entry to the beaches as they could pose a danger to bathers. A green alert forecasts waves, from 4.5 to 11.5 feet.

Sinaproc estimates that the highest waves will be recorded on  Monday Dec.18 and Tuesday  Dec.19

“The COE will maintain permanent monitoring along the Atlantic coast and extends the call to bathers and light boats to maximize security measures,” said Sinaproc.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/alert-closes-beaches-five-days

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Globe trotting judge gets groupie photo

Posted on December 15, 2017 in Panama

 

Ayu Prado and King Felipe

Post Views: 121

José Ayú Prado, the globe-trotting president of the Supreme Court attended the launch of the new  Spanish Academy Panispánico legal Dictionary at the University of Salamanca, Spain on Friday,  Dec. 15

During the ceremony, Ayú Prado bumped into  King Felipe VI, and grabbed the chance get a picture, with royalty and pass on greetings from “all the magistrates of the Court, and from all the comrades of the Judicial Organ”, says a  quickly issued press release.

Judicial authorities of several Iberomérica countries attended the event.

In the last five years, the magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice have accumulated 679 trips to 32 different countries. Ayú Prado has made 48 trips to 23 nations.

The dictionary consists of two volumes,  with 2, 220 pages, and contains 40.000 words with the lexicon of Latin American countries.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/globe-trotting-judge-gets-groupie-photo

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Panama’s Supreme Court  Flying Circus

Posted on December 15, 2017 in Panama

 

The chief justice as seen by La Prensa cartoonist

Post Views: 117

ELECTED Lawmakers in Panama have a deserved reputation as being largely more interested in putting their hands into the state cookie jar than aiding those who voted them into office. But it appears that the jar is shared with those who administer what passes for justice in the Supreme Court (CSJ),

In just five years Panama’s high flying judges have taken 679 days away from the court to wing their way to 32 different countries while unresolved cases sit moldering in their pending trays.

The flying stakes are led by the three guardians of justice who form the board of the Court: controversial president, José Ayú Prado, and his vice-presidents, Luis Ramón Fábrega and Hernán De León who between them have made three quarters. of all trips-a total of 124 tours.  according to a La Prensa investigation.

The star collector of air miles and first class seating who seems never to have received an invitation he could decline, or a “training” event he could miss, is Ayú Prado, with 48 trips to 23 countries.

The traveling fetish has been embraced, by magistrates appointed in December 2015 by President Juan Carlos Varela.  who  already out perform several of their colleagues with more trips in two years than others in five. In the last five years, the CSJ magistrates have visited – at the expense of the State- 32 countries on 124 jaunts. If you total the days they were away from their duties, it would be equivalent to having been absent for almost two years.

Based on the 124 trips made in 5 years, the average is 13.7 trips per person. But six of the nine judges did not reach the average The three who did easily surpassed the mark.

In 2016. The record was with José Ayú Prado,- who made 12 trips or one a month. The traveling custom was immediately picked up byVarela  appointed Cecilio Cedalise, who made five trips in 2016. In third place, came  Hernán De León – also named by Martinelli- with four trips.

The top three, cost the State about $400,000 between tickets and travel expenses, not counting accrued salary  (at $10,000 a month). While files sat in their offices.

In the period between 2013 and 2017, Ayú Prado visited 23 different countries in 3 continents (America, Europe and Asia). There were 48 tours totaling 216 days that cost the State $166,000.

Favored destinations:  the US  and Spain, 7 trips each.

Out of a total of 48 trips, 45 were to attend various meetings and three  for the court  president to receive “training”.

His most expensive tour was, to Russia, Spain and Austria and  ost the State $14,000  plus salary  to participate in legal forums and workshops . He  even did a 10-day  internship, , in Spain, that cost the State $13,000.

Ayu Prado and Martinelli

Meanwhile among his stagnant files is one related to the man who appointed him, Ricardo Martinelli and CD deputies Sergio Gálvez and Vidal García, for alleged irregularities in the purchase of grains through the National Assistance Program. (PAN). The file was provisionally shelved.

With the “protect my back” pact between the National Assembly and the CSJ  little is likely to change, heading into 2018 as Varela focuses instead on a papal visit.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panamas-supreme-court-flying-circus

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Sales of Electric Cars Growing Slowly

Even though tax incentives have been in place since 2012 for buying hybrid or electric vehicles in Panama, preference for these types of cars in the local market is still low.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Law 69 of October 12, 2012 contemplates tax incentives for the import of hybrid and electric cars framed within the promotion of new and efficient techniques and technologies in energy consumption.

See also: "The Vehicle Market in Central America"

Patricia Oduber, executive director of the Association of Automobile Distributors of Panama (ADAP), told Laestrella.com.pa that   "..." As with the entry of any new technology, there is a period of adaptation, sometimes short and in others longer; before there is migration. During this period there is always a resistance factor until you see it is perfected.'"

See also: "Sale of New Vehicles Down 13%"

"... However, one of the pending issues in the use of electric cars in the country is the conditioning in the market. 'We have to make certain adjustments to be able to recharge cars, which is why hybrids maintain a greater (though low) penetration in the market than electrics,' says Oduber."

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Sales_of_Electric_Cars_Growing_Slowly

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Real Estate Boom in Eastern Panama

Greater mobility provided by Line 2 of the Metro in the East of the capital explains the growing attractiveness of the area for real estate development, especially for residential construction.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

As of October 2013, the total amount of area processed for new residential buildings in the province of Panama amounted to 903,000 square meters, while in the same month in 2017, just four years later, the figure exceeds one and a half million square meters.

See also: "What Constructions are Planned in Panama?"

"For Héctor Ortega, who is running for presidency in the 2017-2018 elections of the Board of Directors of the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (Capac), the reality is that Line 2 of the Panama Metro has caused more people to migrate to that area of the province, as it makes it more attractive. Ortega told Laestrella.com.pa: "Some years ago, the boom was concentrated in Panama West and although it is still there, it has diminished. Now, we believe that it will be reactivated with the construction and commissioning of Line 3 of the Metro and the fourth bridge over the Canal."

Panama: "Construction Figures up to October 2017"

"... Figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Census reveal that from January to October, in the province of Panama, the cost of construction amounted to $909.4 million, which represented an increase of 16.1%. Last year, in the tenth month, the value of the construction permits was $783.6 million."

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Real_Estate_Boom_in_Eastern_Panama

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Odebrecht cut from airport bidding

Posted on December 14, 2017 in Panama

 

Carlos Duboy

Post Views: 162

ODEBRECHT, The Brazilian Construction  Company that gave major election campaign donations to the Panamenista Party via the man who is now manager of Tocumen SA . and the party’s   treasurer will be disqualified from bidding on upcoming airport contracts.

Carlos Duboy,  in the eye of a conflict of interest storm after confessing to knocking on Odebrecht’s door for donations, and now facing calls for his resignation from his post at the airport has assured that his administration will follow the guidelines established by the Executive, which disqualify the company from participating in public tenders. Reports La Prensa.

“We have spoken with the contractor about the impediment they have to attending the tenders for Tocumen, “said Duboy, who since April has been leading the terminal operations.

Engineers of the company, involved in one of the biggest corruption scandals

in Latin America over the payment of bribes to get state contracts, participated this month in two approval meetings held by the airport, as part of the process to bid for two contracts that total $8.8 million.

Duboy said that “having attended a certification meeting in the past week does not mean that they are going to present an offer or participate in a tender “, and added that if they did they would be disqualified.

Panama’s Administration  Attorney General, Rigoberto González, was more emphatic, reports La Prensa and said that the company should not participate in any public act, and should refrain from carrying out any management related to public events.

President Juan Carlos Varela has resisted calls for Duboy’s resignation after admitting to asking Odebrecht for donations to the ruling party’s campaign.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/odebrecht-cut-airport-bidding

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Two dead, 5 injured as road carnage  nears  400

Posted on December 14, 2017 in Panama

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TWO PEOPLE died  and five were  severely injured when the driver of a pickup truck lost control  and slammed into a tree in the Las Cruces district of Los Santos on Thursday, December 14, bringing road deaths this year to 388  With an anticipated seasonal spike in accidents  brought on by drinking and attempted speeding  on overcrowded roads, the toll is forecast to pass the  400 mark.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/two-dead-5-injured-road-carnage-nears-400

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Ex-airport boss facing parking lots  probe

Posted on December 14, 2017 in Panama

 

Juan Carlos Pino

Post Views: 132

While the current Manager  of Tocumen S.A. Carlos Duboy, struggles  to untangle himself from a net involving political donations collected from Odebrecht, Latin America’s  bribery kingpin, and  failing to step aside when conflict of interest issues were raised,, an Anti-Corruption Prosecutor  is developing charges against a  former general manager for crimes linked to the administration of  public parking lots.

The   Public Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed that Juan Carlos Pino is being investigated for alleged irregularities in the contract for the administration and collection of parking lots in favor of the company Republic Parking, after Sky Parking, granted in the government of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014).

Prosecutors have also laid charges against  Frank De Lima the former Minister of Finance who is already in preventive detention in El Renacer prison on charges relating to bribes by Odebrecht.

The investigation, conducted by prosecutor Lizzie Bonilla, focuses on an audit report of the Comptroller General that determined a patrimonial injury of $2 million.

Although in principle the operation contract of the parking lots was managed as confidential, it was later learned that Sky Society Parking, S.A. is linked to Gabriel Gaby Btesh and Francisco Pérez Ferreira.

Btesh was a member of the so-called zero circle of Ricardo Martinelli and Ferreira is a lawyer linked to the scandal of free allocation of a Paitilla landfill, now turned into a public space. Btesh is believed to have fled the country.

Pino is also under investigation for possible damage to state assets.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/ex-airport-boss-facing-parking-lots-probe

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Embezzler gets back mansion, yacht Porsche

Posted on December 14, 2017 in Panama

Post Views: 300

A NEAR $1million mansion in Costa del Este; a Porsche Cayenne; an apartment in Punta Pacifica and another in a San Carlos Spa; two Toyota trucks,  a yacht and 0ver  $100.000 spread in five bank accounts are some of the “possessions”  that will be returned to a felon convicted of embezzling and laundering scores of millions.

The laundered money came from a government assistance program under the direction of    Rafael Guardia Jaén,  and his “possessions” and luxury lifestyle are being returned to him courtesy of what anticorruption prosecutors call an “incomprehensible” decision by fifteenth criminal Judge Leslie Loaiza, at a hearing held on Wednesday, December 13.

the Office of the Prosecutor has already announced that it will submit a written appeal on the grounds that the judge acted, “without having a basic evidentiary support” that accredited that said goods were obtained “in a lawful way, ” reports La Prensa

The appeal – which must be resolved by the Second Superior Court – suspends, for now, the return of the goods to the former official.

For now “Boombastic” remains in state hands of th=

Meanwhile, the defense lawyer wants his client to serve his wrist-slap 5-year sentence under house arrest, with lots of room in his mansion to entertain and manage his affairs, and enough money in his bank accounts to pay the water and electricity bills for a few months.

Those unable to afford silver-tongued advocates, or to grease the wheels of justice have a harder time. Newsroom has recorded a cooperative employee sent to La Joya for six years for stealing $5,000.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/embezzler-gets-back-mansion-yacht-porsche

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OPINION: Comptroller  silence hints  complicity  

Posted on December 14, 2017 in Panama

Post Views: 129

For more than eight months, a team of auditors from the Office of the Comptroller General was installed in the National Assembly with the purpose of analyzing the documents, files and payments made in the concept of donations and contracts for professional services during the administrations of deputies Adolfo Valderrama and Rubén De León. The amounts in question are multimillions: $14 million in donations and $ 68 million for professional services contracts. These revelations shook the foundations of our society, but it seems that the silence of bureaucracy and time can become a shield for impunity. The organization Together We Decide asked the Comptroller General to report the progress and findings of the group of auditors. The secrecy of the work of the Comptroller is worrisome. The citizenship needs to know the truth in order to demand accountability from the deputies that allegedly took advantage of the resources of the State. Failure to fully investigate is a form of complicity … La Prensa December 14

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/opinion-comptroller-silence-hints-complicity

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Civil group demands answers on lawmaker audit

Posted on December 13, 2017 in Panama

 

The demand was delivered by group coordinator Freddy Pitti

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THE CITIZEN watchdog organization “Together We decide” has called on the Comptroller General of Panama for a progress report on the work of a team of auditors installed in the National Assembly to investigate donations, subsidies and professional services contracts. issued by lawmakers.

“It has been more than eight months since the group moved in and we still do not know progress or conclusions of its work, ” said a letter delivered to the Controleria.

An investigation by La Prensa documented that from July 2014 to December 2016, the National Assembly disbursed $14 million in donations,  but most never reached the named beneficiary.

Research also revealed that that $68 million was used for contracts for professional services for tasks that were not performed, described by investigators as a legislative fraud.

Together We Decide approached  Comptroller General  Federico Humbert on  Wednesday, December 13, to demand a statement on the audits.

According to the organization, Humbert must inform the country about the findings that have been made in the more than eight months it takes the work of the officials.

“We Panamanians have not forgotten this corruption scandal.” the group said in its note to Humbert.

“The fact that the Comptroller’s Office does not inform citizens in a timely way contributes to the growing lack of trust in public institutions and makes them seem accomplices.”

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/civil-group-demands-answers-assembly-fraud-audit

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Wrist slap and property return for multi-million thief

Posted on December 13, 2017 in Panama

Post Views: 352

THE FORMER head of the now-defunct National Assistance Program (PAN) Rafael Guardia Jaén,  charged with stealing multi-millions in the case involved in  the purchase of grains through the entity has been sentenced to five years in jail and gets to keep his mansion in Costa del Este, and other properties and more according to a plea bargain deal approved by The Fifteenth Criminal Judge, Leslie Loaiza, on  Wednesday, December 13.

The convicted felon wants to serve his time under house arrest

The judge acknowledged that Guardia Jaén already “returned” illegally acquired property valued at $30 million, that had been seized by the Anti-Corruption Public Prosecutor’s Office during the research phase.

The agreement was appealed by the Public Ministry, so the document will now go to the Second Superior Court of Justice.

Guardia Jaén’s  lawyer Víctor Orobio- said that up to $30 million in goods and money had been returned but  Jaen asked to keep real estate that was according to Orobio- acquired before he became director of PAN.

Specifically, it refers to a mansion in Costa del Este and two apartments.

The defense also requested the replacement of the prison sentence with house arrest.

Prosecutor Adecio Mojica refrained from commenting on that request to the judge, stating that he would wait for the second Superior Court to resolve the appeal.

Orobio and the Anticorruption prosecutor, Aurelio Vásquez, acting as spokesman for the Public Ministry, confirmed that the parties are working on collaboration agreements in other court cases on purchases with funds from the PAN.

The hearing before Judge Loaiza took place behind closed doors, for security reasons, Orobio said.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/wrist-slap-property-return-multi-million-thief

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Admin Attorney General backs airport boss ouster

Posted on December 13, 2017 in Panama

Post Views: 158

WHILE PRESIDENT Varela has backed away from replacing Carlos Duboy, manager of Tocumen, S.A, in spite of calls from civil society and Transparency  International.   The  Administration Attorney General of the Administration, Rigoberto González, has recommended his removal.

Duboy, the current treasurer of the ruling Panamenista party admitted on Monday that he requested a donation from the Odebrecht construction company in 2008.

According to the prosecutor, although Duboy is not appointed within the central government if he is in charge of a State society there could be a conflict of interest since the Odebrecht company

develops the airport expansion project. He added that Duboy can apply the Code of Ethics of the officials. “Faced with that, the minimum that one has to do ethically is to separate from the position so as not to tarnish and not leave in question his performance, however laudable, “said Gonzalez.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/admin-attorney-general-backs-airport-boss-ouster

6 hours ago, Lanecito said:

   Another source of information about the invasion is the documentary "The Panama Deception."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Panama_Deception

https://www.amazon.com/Panama-Deception-Elizabeth-Montgomery/dp/B000KJU1K0