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Virzi gets jail exit keys once again
FORMER Vice-president Felipe Pipo Virzi, entangled in multiple corruption probes has once again been released from preventive detention because of his age.
He has been behind bars in El Renacer prison since August while being investigated for alleged money laundering in the New Business Case related to the purchase of Editora Panamá América (Epasa) allegedly with public funds.
A ruling by Judge Harry Diaz has changed his detention to country arrest, meaning he can’t leave the country without judicial authorization and must also report on the 30th of each month.
“He is over 65 years old, and should not be deprived of liberty unless the Public Ministry justifies such a measure. Virzi has not missed his commitments to the processes, so there is not much to analyze ” said Diaz.
Virzi recently appeared in a photo circulated on social media taking coffee in the grounds of El Renacer with a group of high profile detainees facing corruption charges.
He had previously been let out of detention for an unrelated case, and moved to house arrest, and is now being investigated for an offence allegedly committed while at his home.
He managed to stall court appearances by putting himself forward as a candidate for office in an internal PRD election.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/virzi-gets-jail-exit-keys
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Arbitration call in Copa-Airlines dispute
A STRIKE by Copa Airlines ground staff set for Thursday, November 23 was suspended by the Ministry of Labor and Development which called for an arbitration process between Copa and the union SIELAS.
Workers demonstrated in the morning calling for a negotiation of 35 points remaining after the 108 already agreed to a contract for four years. Negotiators had been meeting for 18 hours to avoid a strike. The majority of sticking points relate to 12% wage adjustments for all ground staff.
In a statement, Copa Airlines said that the willingness to reach an agreement on salary increases and benefits for the staff, in the two months that the negotiation lasted, was maintained at all times.
Tocumen Airport authorities do not anticipate any delays but advises travelers to call ahead to confirm flights on all airlines.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/arbitration-call-copa-airlines-dispute
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“Intermediaries” detail bribes transfer to ministers
Post Views: 101THREE “Intermediaries have revealed how they funnelled bribery money from the Odebrecht construction company to two key cabinet ministers in the Ricardo Martinelli administration.José Luis Saiz Villanueva, Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos and Jorge Espino Méndez confessed to the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor that through societies and accounts in which they appeared as signatories – the ex-Ministers Frank De Lima (Economy and Finance) and Jaime Ford Castro (Public Works) would have received money from the so-called “Box 2” (The Odebrecht bribery department).
They told how they were contacted by the former ministers and how they agreed to receive payments through companies whose accounts they opened in the Banca Privada de Andorra (BPA).
Méndez Tribaldos and Espino Méndez have penalty agreements, validated by the twelfth criminal judge, Óscar Carrasquilla. Espino Méndez confessed to following instructions from Ford, while Méndez Tribaldos and Saiz Villanueva claimed to have received money that was destined for De Lima.
Saiz Villanueva said that between 2012 and 2013 he accepted a request from the then finance minister to receive the payments, although the final recipient was the ex-minister himself. He told him that André Rabello – Odebrecht superintendent in Panama- would contact him to give instructions.
Rabello received him at the Odebrecht office in Punta Pacifica, where he signed the opening of an account in the name of Herzone Overseas Limited.
“Rabello himself indicated to me that he would give instructions for the creation of the company and the account where it was going to be paid, “he said, for which he gave Rabello a copy of his ID and gave him his personal information. He then traveled to the principality for a meeting with members of the BPA who had requested to know him personally to open the account.
Saiz Villanueva said De Lima informed him that the payments to the account would be “in its first stage in the order of $ 2.5 million”; that later more would be received
“After pondering this, I considered that it was not correct, and I asked both of them, Rabello and De Lima, that they will not continue with the payments, which were suspended. I understand that I was foolish to have received this payment and I left funds in the account to return them to Panama, “said. Saiz Villanueva
“I feel sorry for having accepted those payments. That’s why I avoided meeting with De Lima and with Rabello on those topics. I saw them socially, but we did not meet to talk about that theme because I avoided them, “said Saiz Villanueva.
He said he took $370,000 from the account of Herzone Overseas Limited as payment for the services that his company Tractebel Engineering -in which he worked until 2014- offered to Odebrecht.
He said that the $370,000 received for his professional services was in addition to the $2.5 million that Odebrecht deposited in the same account, for De Lima.
“I was definitely paid only for my professional services,” said Saiz Villanueva.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/intermediaries-detail-bribes-transfer-ministers
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Martinelli resigning from “Den of Thieves”
Post Views: 154EX-PRESIDENT Ricardo Martinelli who is approaching his sixth month behind bars, far removed f from his luxury waterside Miami mansion with ample time to consider the possible consequences of being tried in Panama for illegal wiretapping is looking at resigning from the Central American Parliament (Parlacen), where he sought refuge when he left office and was sworn in as a deputy to the assembly which he had labeled a “den of thieves,” But, like the man he admires, Donald Trump, what is said on the hustings is not a promise of fulfillment.The reasons why Martinelli would resign from Parlacen are according to his lawyer Sidney Sitton his rights have been violated in the Supreme Court and what is sought is to be the regular system using the new accusatory system by the Public Ministry, which could mean starting the two-year-old process from scratch.
According to Sitton, the decision has already been made by the former resident. Sitton told El Siglo that in the next few days they will present a letter to Parlacen notifying the resignation of Deputy Ricardo Martinelli from “the den”
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-resigning-den-thieves
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Varela facing Odebrecht donation questions
Post Views: 93WHILE President Juan Carlos Varela is basking in the afterglow of his trade mission to China, Civil groups and other apart from Martinelli controlled Panama America, are questioning his party’s role in the Odebrecht scandal,The Independent Movement (Movin), which played a prominent role in Varela’s election has harshly questioned the Panameñista Party over the “donations” that he would have received from the Odebrecht company in the 2009 campaign through a friend.
According to Movin, so far “the Party Panameñista has offered few and unconvincing explanations about the meaning and scope of monies that today we know were received by the party and some of its representatives. ”
“It is imperative that after the judicial investigation process, we have the firm conviction that nobody escaped by a political or economic shield, ” it said.
According to Movin, “it is clear that the penetration” of the political class through “donations” to candidates with more options, to “win a favor” is one of the characteristics of “the web of public corruption” that has hit Panamanian democracy
.The former ambassador of Panama in South Korea, Jaime Lasso Del Castillo, confirmed – in an investigation conducted by the Public Prosecutor’s Office on September 4, that he received money from André Rabello, representative of Odebrecht in Panama, for the electoral campaign of the Panameñista Party in the year 2009.
At the end of October, the Panameñista Party issued a statement in which it tried to distance itself from the reports.
On November 9, Varela said that in his campaign as vice president in 2009, he received help from a person linked to Odebrecht, at a time when the Brazilian construction company was not questioned on any irregular issue. “Those donations were reported to Electoral Tribunal, “he argued.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/varela-facing-odebrecht-donation-questions
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Panama: Poultry Industry Could Grow 5% in 2017
The Panamanian Aviculturists Association expects to close the year with a 5% growth, with around 4 million chicken units more than those produced in 2016.
Monday, November 20, 2017
Carlos Castroverde, president of the National Association of Poultry Farmers of Panama (Anavip), based his estimate on the general stability shown by the price of chicken in the local market. "... 'the price has remained stable in recent years compared to other products such as meat, a factor which is important in consumers decision to buy'."
See : "Chicken meat consumption grows in Central America"
Elcapitalfinanciero.com reports that " ...Francisco Ameglio, manager of Hacienda Trofarello, a company located in the village of Las Yayas, in La Chorrera, dedicated to fattening chicken, agrees with Castroverde's argument when he thinks that this product is the most economical type of protein on Panamanian tables. This consumption behavior has allowed production on his farm to double, since he previously delivered 3.5 million pounds of chicken per year to the market, and currently provides almost 7 million pounds per year."
Figures from the "Market Snapshot of Chicken Meat" report by CentralAmericaData show that at the regional level, in 2016 Panama was the country that registered the highest per capita annual consumption, with 43.8 kilos, followed by Costa Rica with 35.8 kilos, Guatemala with 24.4 kilos, Honduras with 22.9 kilos, Nicaragua with 22.5 kilos and El Salvador with 18.3 kilos.https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Poultry_Industry_Could_Grow_5_in_2017
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Consumption of Chicken Meat Up in Central America
Annual per capita consumption of chicken meat in Central American countries increased from 19.8 kilos in 2008 to 25.9 kilos in 2016, and growth was driven mainly by Panama.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
The upward trend in regional chicken meat consumption has been steady in recent years, growing from 814,000 tons in 2008 to 1.2 million tons in 2016.
Last year, 85% of the volume of chicken meat consumed in the Central American countries corresponded to local production, while about 15% was imported from the United States.
Between 2008 and 2016 annual per capita consumption of chicken meat in countries in the region increased from 19.8 kilos to 25.9 kilos, and growth was driven mainly by Panama.
In 2016 Panama had the highest annual per capita consumption, with 43.8 kilos, followed by Costa Rica with 35.8 kilos, Guatemala with 24.4 kilos, Honduras with 22.9 kilos, Nicaragua with 22.5 kilos and El Salvador with 18.3 kilos.
Last year, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama accounted for approximately 61% of regional chicken meat production, while the remaining 39% was produced in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador.https://centralamericadata.com/en/article/home/Crece_el_consumo_de_carne_de_pollo_en_Centroamrica
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Just curious why an event in the past would be announced/posted? Is there an issue with the month of this event? Perhaps December 2017?
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VP’s brother linked to Odebrecht, Martinelli sons
Post Views: 155THE BROTHER of Panama Vice- president and Chancellor Isabel de Saint Malo is the latest high profile insider to be fingered in the country’s ongoing corruption scandals.Raúl de Saint Malo was part of a money-laundering scheme linked to the sons of ex-president Ricardo Martinelli. according to Specialized Anticorruption Prosecutor Tania Sterling.
De Saint Malo, under investigation for banking transactions used to pay bribes of Odebrecht, must explain to the public prosecutor the origin of the monies coming from the account Petro Trading Services, company. in which he split shares with Ricardo and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares. The Public Ministry presumes that the last two received more than $50 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, reports La Estrella de Panama.
The inquiries suggest that $ 7.1 million was used in business with De Saint Malo for the purchase of tankers for fuel bunkering.
Raúl de Saint Malo, a shareholder of Star Tankers, approached Ricardo Martinelli Linares an acquaintance from his student days at the University of Georgetown, Washington, to propose buying tankers to transport fuel. De Saint Malo had met with the Jamaica Petrojam refinery, which had alerted him about the expiration of a transport contract it had with a Greek company and the opportunity to win contracts on the island was open.
Martinelli immediately said that Global Bank, in which his family had shares, would finance the project.
Fast-tracking
De Saint Malo found ships in Europe but at payment time Martinelli said that the bank was not able to disburse the money on time, so they would buy the boats with their money and then the bank would release the loan and the debt would be repaid. The amount of $ 17million was for three ships. When De Saint Malo arrived in Germany, the vendors asked him to fast-track the funds.Martinelli’s attorney gave him the account number and De Saint Malo noticed that the money came from the Stonewood And Partners Corp. account in the Winterbotham Merchant Bank in the Bahamas. De Saint Malo asked Martinelli for the swift code for buyers to track the funds. Mauricio Cort, the lawyer of the Martinelli sons, told him that it was delayed because he had to move money between several accounts to collect the whole and send it to the vendor.
The ships were purchased, and registered in Panama The prosecutor says that the banking movements referred to by Cort came from an account of a bank in Andorra fed by transfers from the Kienfeld and Aeong Group companies, controlled by the Odebrecht “Office of Structured Operations,” with which bribery payments were made to politicians. De Saint Malo said that he had no idea where the money in the Bahamas came from.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/vps-brother-linked-odebrecht-martinelli-sons
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Anti-crime speaker hid dirt money in Panama
Post Views: 119A SPANISH police Commissioner scheduled to talk at a Panama forum on corruption at the Trump Tower Hotel this week hid money received for operating a smear campaign in Panama banks. He is now in a Spanish jail.Police Commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, was arrested along with his partner Rafael Redondo by the Internal Affairs Unit of the National Police of Spain. He is being investigated by the Special Prosecutor Against Corruption and Organized Crime in Spain for operations in Equatorial Guinea and China.
The El País newspaper revealed that he tried to sell encryption systems to China and Iran. In Equatorial Guinea, Villarejo received payments in exchange for finding “dirt” on the son of the president and disseminating it as part of a smear campaign.
He would have received a payment of 5.3 million euros (about $6.2 million). Part of the money would have been deposited through bank accounts located in Panama, using various anonymous companies according to the newspaper.
A report from the Internal Affairs Unit, published by Público, names Cenyt Consultoría International as a member of the investigated business structure and names it as a payment outlet in 2011, with Panama, the United States and Uruguay as “participating countries”.
The event that Villarejo was to attend in Panama still appears on the hotel agenda under the name “Foro Legal Empresarial Compliance 2017 “for Thursday, November 23. With the theme “Experience and
compliance perspective in Europe and Latin America “. reports La Prensa It was announced that it will be inaugurated by the Minister of the Presidency Álvaro Alemán.
On the official website of the Forum, it says that “Forum attendees will be able to illustrate their police experiences in matters of corporate and financial intelligence, and experiences in the problem of tracking of goods and in practical matters that concern research on frameworks of
hidden companies. The conference was organized by Panama law firm Moncada.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/anti-crime-speaker-hid-dirt-money-panama
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For a related topic, please see:
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Plans to Penalize Tax Evasion
In Panama, a bill put forward by the Varela administration proposes that tax fraud of $300 thousand or more be classified as a criminal offense, and punished with 1 to 3 years in prison.
Monday, November 20, 2017
The Ministry of Finance and Economy insists that the country is at risk of being included once again in the gray list of the Financial Action Group if tax evasion is not considered a crime. Panama is one of the few countries where tax evasion is not considered a criminal offense.
Prensa.com reports that "...The government has distributed among business associations and specialists a proposal for a law that establishes that tax fraud of $300 thousand or more would be considered a criminal offense, punishable with imprisonment of 1 to 3 years."
See: "The Criminalization of Tax Evasion"
Héctor Cotes, president of the Panamanian Association of Business Executives (Apede) "... suggested raising from $300,000 to $500,000 the amount for which this type of fraud is considered a criminal offense and highlighted the need to have guarantees for taxpayers."We are worried that it will be used as a political tool," said the union representative, who asked that the process not allow the directer general of revenue to have all of the power in these cases."https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Plans_to_Penalize_Tax_Evasion
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Promising Features of the China - Panama Alliance
Flights between the Asian country and Tocumen, a feasibility study to build a train to the border with Costa Rica and cooperation in financial, energy and maritime matters, are some of the results on offer from the agreements signed between the Chinese and Panamanian governments.
Monday, November 20, 2017
Since the breakdown of Panama's diplomatic relations with Taiwan and the new relationship with the Asian giant was announced in June of this year, the possibilities of creating and developing new business in Panama have multiplied, due to the implications that greater involvement in terms of investment by China would have for the country and the region.
See: "Goodbye Taiwan, Hello China"
The 19 agreements signed between the Varela administration and the Xi Jinping government cover practically all economic sectors, from financial cooperation through the banks Exim Bank and Bank of China for energy development in Panama, to sanitary and phytosanitary measures, development of economic and commercial zones, and the inclusion of Panama as an approved tourist destination.
Although Panama is not the first country in the region to reestablish diplomatic relations with China, it is the only country that has the necessary logistical and commercial conditions to become an ideal platform for Chinese investments.
From a statement issued by the Presidency of Panama:
The relationship between the Republic of Panama and the People's Republic of China has taken on a new dynamism after a historic meeting between its leaders, Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez and Xi Jinping, the first after the establishment of diplomatic relations, and in which they committed to continue strengthening their ties in search of the welfare of their populations.
The governors witnessed the adoption of some 20 documents, including 19 agreements and a Joint Declaration, which lay the foundations for this new stage and pose a new diplomatic, economic, commercial and tourism panorama for Panama.
Real full release (in Spanish).https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Promising_Features_of_the_China__Panama_Alliance
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Panama still lags in English language
Post Views: 218Panama still lags in English language skillsPANAMA continues to trail the region in English language proficiency and sits 49th in an
Education First (EF) survey of 80 non-native English speaking countries.
Panama showed no relevant improvement in learning English for adults and has one of the weakest proficiency profiles in the region, according to the EF English First Proficiency Index (EF EPI) 2017.
The Netherlands (Holland), remains as leader of the survey.
The measurement is used by thousands of schools, companies and governments, where large-scale tests were previously prohibitively expensive.
The EF EPI was launched in the United Kingdom, where Sebastian Faulks, CEB, spoke about English as a key asset for global commitment and shared prosperity.
“In today’s global economy, the advantages of learning English transcend borders,” said Minh N. Tran, director of Research at EF. The EP EPI 2017 classifies 80 countries and territories on the basis of data from more than one million adults who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET), the first free standardized English test in the world. The EF SET provides language students with access to a high quality English test model.
In the region, Argentina continues to lead Latin America in the position #25 despite having dropped five positions. Mexico also dropped one position (# 44) against the previous year.
Colombia, Guatemala and Panama improved to get out of the Very Low Domain band, but despite significant education spending in Latin America, the region still has low world averages. The gap between men and women in the region is lower compared to other regions and is not statistically significant.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panama-still-lags-english-language
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China to study Panama-Chiriqui rail link
Post Views: 179ON THE HEELS of the news that Air China will be initiating two flights a week to Panama in March 2018, President Juan Carlos Varela announced on Monday, November 20, that an agreement has been signed for China to carry out the pre-feasibility study of a rail system that would include a passenger and cargo train linking the provinces of Panama and Chiriqui The president and his 60-plus delegation of politicians and businessmen traveled on Monday from Beijing city to Shanghai on a high-speed train.In a keynote speech at Renmin University of China where he was awarded an honorary doctorate and appointed as an honorary adviser to the university’s Center for Latin American Studies Varela pledged to “enhance pragmatic cooperation in all fields with China and play an active part in the Belt and Road endeavor (the plan to replicate the recently completed China to London road-rail link, with a link running from South America to Alaska)
“The Belt and Road Initiative is a very good one. It will connect all the ports, airports among various countries to achieve connectivity and common development of all countries. Panama, the first Latin American country to support the initiative, will actively participate in it,” said Varela. He also pledged firm adherence to the one-China principle.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/china-study-panama-chiriqui-rail-link
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Navarro plans second presidential shot
Post Views: 172JUAN CARLOS NAVARRO. former two-term Panama Mayor and 2009 failed presidential candidate is ready to throw his hat back into what promises to be a very crowded ring for the chance to inhabit the Palace of Las Garzas.During his last campaign, he was plagued with reports of meetings and business ties with ex-president Ricardo Martinelli.
On Monday, November 20 he announced on Twitter that he will compete in the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) primary “to take Panama forward”.
Should he be elected he would have only a short walk from his home in Plaza de Francia to the presidential palace.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/navarro-plans-second-presidential-shot
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113,000 Christmas trees Panama bound
Post Views: 154THE FIRST batch of 113,000 Christmas trees from Canada and the US carried in 150 refrigerated containers has arrived in Panama.The containers are inspected by Panamanian officials to prevent the entry of pests and diseases says Darío Gordón, director of Plant Health at the Ministry of Agricultural Development,
One of the unwanted visitors that most worries the authorities is the “Lymantria dispar”, commonly known as Asian gypsy moth, said Gordon said during the official presentation of a program of public certification of organic food on Monday, November 20.
In Panama, trees are usually decorated close to Mother’s Day, December 8.
After the Christmas holidays, a massive collection of firs will be organized by Panama’s Urban and Domiciliary Cleaning Authority (AAUD) with the aim of converting them into organic fertilizer
http://www.newsroompanama.com/business/panama-4/113000-christmas-trees-panama-bound
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The above message was distributed by News Boquete, a free subscription-based community service.
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Panama crime forum experts jailed in laundering probe
Post Views: 180TWO OF the “experts” scheduled to speak this week at a Panama forum on money laundering and organized crime will be no-shows as they are behind bars in Spain under investigation for money laundering and organized crime.The international forum is being held on Thursday, Nov, 23 at the Trump International Hotel & Tower which according to research in the US, was used, during construction to launder money.
The forum will discuss issues such as money laundering, organized crime and tax havens
According to the porta.publico.es former commissioner, José Manuel Villarejo, and lawyer, Rafael Redondo, are in unconditional prison in Spain by order of the National Court after an investigation into alleged money laundering and organized crime.According to the publication, Villarejo and Redondo were invited to Panama together with notable “authorities, detective agencies, forensic accountants and law firms”, from Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Colombia and Peru, to discuss “the prevention of corporate legal risks”. , developments in judicial cooperation and tracking of assets in the world, corporate intelligence, trends in criminal liability of legal persons, disqualifications for bribery and transnational corruption, and newson automatic exchange of information between tax authorities in the US, Switzerland, Panama and Latin America “.
Vilalrejo and five others were arrested on November 3 by officials of the Internal Affairs Unit in an operation coordinated by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. in which five more people have been arrested.
The ex-commissioner is being investigated in other judicial cases.
According to the El Confidencial website, the Prosecutor’s Office intends to dismantle with these arrests a “criminal organization” dedicated to “reintroducing funds from illicit activities linked to international business corruption into Spain and other countries of the European Union”.
Meanwhile the Panama event is missing two experts
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panama-forum-crime-experts-jailed-laundering-probe
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Body of Panama pilot found in Honduras
Post Views: 131THE BODY of the Panamanian pilot of a fumigating plane that went missing on November 9 has been recovered from a hillside in a mountainous region of Honduras says the Civil Aeronautics Authority (ACC),According to the newspaper La Prensa de Honduras, Honduran firefighters removed the remains of Panamanian Carlos Aizpurúa from the crash site in the Yure Mountains, between the municipalities of Santa Cruz de Yojoa and Taulabé, in the center of Honduras, on Sunday, November 19 in a place that can only be entered on foot.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/body-panama-pilot-found-honduras
The continuing story of Ricardo Martinelli, his family and trials
in Corruption, Fraud, and Scandals - Investigations / Prosecutions
Posted
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/probes-martinelli-filed-grains-scandal