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Electoral Court ruling clears the way for Martinelli's bid to return to power
Araúz, Juncá and Martinelli
Posted 26/03/2022
The ruling of the Electoral Court (TE) of March 22, which safeguards the criminal electoral jurisdiction of Ricardo Martinelli, would not only mean that the former President) would arrive unscathed from the action of justice to the general elections of 2024, but would show signs of where the balance would tip in the fight for control of the Democratic Change (CD) party says political analyst Edwin Cabrera in La Prensa.
He recalls that Martinelli wants to recover Democratic Change (CD), the party he created in 1998 because he is convinced that voters associate him with that group, rather than with Realizing Goals (RM), his new party, founded on March 24, 2021.
RM and CD add up, together, 441,661 adherents, according to figures from the TE.
Martinelli embarked on this political project after, in January 2018, his former foreign minister Rómulo Roux took control of CD from him with the support of 63.3% of the convention votes, while he was detained in Miami, awaiting extradition to face trial in the wiretapping case. Martinelli had been out of Panama since 2015.
"Having the CD ballot under his power is too important for him," says Cabrera. Until now, he recalls, the legal dispute over control of CD has been won by Roux against the claims of deputy Yanibel Ábrego, who distanced herself from Roux and now publicly shows her sympathy for "the boss", as his followers call him.
If to this is added, the atomization of the opposition, one has a very favorable political map. for the former president, despite all the local and international corruption scandals in which his name comes to light.
The decision of magistrates Heriberto Araúz and Alfredo Juncá to maintain Martinelli's electoral jurisdiction in the cases of New Business and Odebrecht is supposed to be for the duration of the RM process for the election of the secretaries of youth and women, scheduled for next April 24. But as the former TE magistrate, Guillermo Márquez Amado, explains, since Martinelli left power in 2014, he has organized a chain of electoral processes, “in order to shelter himself with the electoral jurisdiction.” He did it with CD (until Roux arrived) and now he does it with RM.
In fact, that has already happened in the current electoral process of RM, which served Martinelli to invoke the controversial jurisdiction, although he is not even a candidate nor is he competing for anything at the moment. The election date was set two months after Judge Baloisa Marquínez announced that the hearing in the New Business case, in which he is accused, would be held between January 27 and 31.
“He already did and will continue to do so. He will play with the country, he will play with the institutions. There will be as many choices as you can imagine: secretary of the professionals, workers, etc., in order to keep that jurisdiction in force,” says Márquez Amado.
Araúz and Juncá went too far
Lawyer Carlos Herrera Morán points out that it is clear that Araúz and Juncá overstepped their duties, "because this is a matter for the criminal courts or the Criminal Chamber of the Court."“In that sense, the decision of the TE has no significance in the criminal jurisdiction, but what is related to the criminal electoral jurisdiction does affect it, because this mechanism could be prolonged, protecting the accused.”
The political scientist Carlos Guevara Mann concludes that this case "has unmasked the Electoral Court as an accomplice of irregularities and theft", which shows that "the electoral system urgently needs a change".
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Maybe it was Palmira Gold who is at the BCP Tuesday market every week
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Outcry against Electoral Tribunal ruling favoring Martinelli
TE Judges Junca and Arauz under fire
Posted 25/03/2022
The ruling endorsed by the magistrates of the Electoral Court (TE), Heriberto Araúz, and Alfredo Juncá, in practice prevents Ricardo Martinelli from being tried for the New Business and Odebrecht cases.
Araúz and Juncá denied suspending Martinelli's criminal electoral jurisdiction, alleging the principle of specialty that is in the extradition treaty of the United States and Panama, the workhorse that the former president's legal team has brought up again and again to delay the cases in which it is linked.
Both prosecutors and judges, as well as the United States State Department itself, the country that extradited him in 2018, have said that Martinelli no longer enjoys this protection reports La Prensa.
"It is a shame and a mortal blow to the political system that was already in intensive care," said former Attorney General Ana Matilde Gómez, "
The controversial ruling also set off the alarm of those who allege that the TE overreached and even usurped functions. The former Supreme Court judge, Harry Díaz, considers that it is necessary to "review" why two TE magistrates made a decision "so absurd and beyond their jurisdiction."He added that here it is appropriate to present a claim of unconstitutionality so that the Court resolves the matter. The president of the Panameñista Party, José Isabel Blandón, announced that he has already asked the lawyers of his group to prepare an action of unconstitutionality. In a statement, the party warned that "there has been a misuse of power and a clear violation of constitutional norms."
Extradition Treaty
The most generalized criticism delved into the fact that magistrates Heriberto Araúz (rapporteur of the ruling) and Alfredo Juncá brought up the principle of specialty consigned in the extradition treaty between the United States and Panama.Díaz recalled that the principle of specialty is decided by the extraditing country, so if the United States decided that it is no longer applicable to Martinelli, "there is nothing more to say." The former magistrate suggests that what is appropriate now is to present a claim of unconstitutionality against the decision made by Araúz and Juncá, and wait for the Court to resolve the issue.
A similar position is held by the former electoral prosecutor Boris Barrios, who said that the principle of specialty escapes the functions of the TE magistrates, within a review of a request to lift the electoral jurisdiction. “The TE invaded the jurisdiction of the Judicial Branch by ruling on an issue that is not within its jurisdiction,” he argued.
Barrios also pointed out that the ruling of the TE prevents ordinary criminal justice from defining the processes that follow Martinelli for the Odebrecht and New Business cases. In fact, Martinelli and his team of lawyers have already managed to delay the hearing for the New Business case
For the former TE magistrate, Guillermo Márquez Amado, the ruling that now prevents Martinelli from being tried, "is an unlawful decision."
"The magistrates of the Electoral Court, with the cosmetic rescue of Eduardo Valdés Escoffery's vote, have wanted to help Martinelli, despite the fact that they are against what the law says."
The Independent Movement (Movin) said: “It is absolutely unacceptable to use the criminal electoral jurisdiction to prevent investigations and trials, especially in cases of corruption.
The Panamanian chapter of Transparency International, Tweeted “We repudiate the ruling against the law of @tepanama in favor of the criminal jurisdiction of the former president and we subscribe to rescue arguments of Mag. Valdes. Impacts to citizen confidence in TE are devastating in the face of Elections 2024″.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/outcry-against-electoral-tribunal-ruling-favoring-martinelli
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Avian flu alert bans poultry imports from 60 countries
Posted 25/03/2022
The Ministry of Agricultural Development (Mida) issued a zoosanitary alert on Thursday, March 24, due to the possible risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) entering Panama, which was detected in Canada and the United States.
The Mida authorities indicated that they have increased vigilance in the face of the outbreak because the poultry breeding stock of Panama comes mainly from the United States.
A resolution signed by the Concepción Santos Sanjur, Mida's national director of animal health, bans "the importation of live birds and any product, by-product or genetic material of poultry origin from countries affected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)”.
The document clarifies that the measure is temporary until "the animal health status of the affected countries is once again re-established by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)".
In addition, the Mida requests the executive direction of Agricultural Quarantine "extreme biosecurity and epidemiological surveillance measures, at the points of entry into the country (sea, air and land ports) and reinforce surveillance in the internal movement of live birds between the different animal health zones.
Avian influenza manifests in birds with fever, depression, lack of appetite, sneezing, bloody nasal discharge, diarrhea, puffiness with purplish or purplish discoloration of the comb, eyes, chin, ruffled plumage, tremors, weakness, incoordination, huddling, and decreased egg production, as well as eggs with or without soft shells.
It is estimated that this disease currently affects more than 60 countries in the world.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/avian-flu-alert-bans-poultry-imports-from-60-countries
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$68,300 in counterfeit bills seized in Calidonia raid
The National Police in a joint raid with the Public Ministry in the Premier Building in Calidonia on Friday afternoon seized $63,800 in counterfeit bills in denominations of $100.The wads of bills were allegedly used for illicit activities. A 47-year-old person was apprehended.
Posted 25/03/2022
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/68300-in-counterfeit-bills-seized-in-calidonia-raid
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The use of masks in open spaces ends on March 28
Posted 25/03/2022
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) confirmed on Friday, March 25, that from Monday, March 28, the measure of the use of masks in open spaces is lifted.
Ivette Berrío, Minister of Health in charge, and Eyra Ruiz, Minister Health Counselor held a press conference on Friday announcing the measure and others following the decrease in the number of Covid-19 infections.
Berrío explained that the new sanitary measures were agreed with the Minsa technical team, the Consultative Council and approved by President Laurentino Cortizo.
The Minsa recommended vulnerable people, such as adults over 60 years of age, with incomplete vaccination schedules, and people with chronic diseases, to carry out an individual risk assessment according to the environment in which they find themselves and to use the masks.
On the other hand, the mandatory use of the mask in closed or interior spaces is maintained and in open spaces where a meter distance between people cannot be maintained, such as crowds or lines to enter activities, like concerts.
However, it was also clarified that students must keep masks inside the classrooms but they will be able to remove them when they are outside the classrooms, such as on the playing fields.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-use-of-masks-in-open-spaces-ends-on-march-28
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The path to impunity
Posted 25/03/2022
Heriberto Araúz arrived at the Electoral Court in 2012, after sustaining the brazen thesis that a president could opt for re-election. He did not care that the Constitution expressly prohibited immediate re-election since his audience was reduced to one person: who just at that moment held the presidency and, at that time, was considering staying in it, Ricardo Martinelli.The professor's outburst was his letter of introduction and he was rewarded with his designation as a member of the highest electoral body. It is tragic that the high price of his gratitude is paid by democracy and the rule of law. If Araúz cared little about the constitutional text before he won office, he will do it even less now that the benefactor of his accommodating criteria is in trouble. The text of his sentence is as devastating as the resonance he found in his partner, Judge Alfredo Juncá, that illustrious stranger whose merits to occupy the position were limited to the services that as "legal advisor" he provided to the deputies who they ratified him in office, the same jurist who a few months ago advocated the total elimination of electoral jurisdiction.
This is how the sentence was forged, one that finds neither logic nor any legal basis, and which already occupies a prominent place in the annals of ignominy. This couple has had to resort to the principle of specialty as a subterfuge to stretch the disastrous electoral jurisdiction, an issue that is beyond the powers of the electoral judge, which has already been rejected time and time again by the competent courts and by the United States. A ruling that throws 30 years of jurisprudence from the court itself into the garbage can. A bodrio that, as magistrate Eduardo Valdés rightly delimited in his rescue, intends to make an in-depth analysis of a principle that "is totally inadmissible in this instance and before this Court."
From the scissors of this pair of magistrates is the suit tailored to impunity, one of twisted logic and puny livelihood, to the shame of nationals and foreigners. With this action, the Electoral Court has done nothing but shield Ricardo Martinelli by preventing his trial. - LA PRENSA, Mar. 25.
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The anatomy of Panama’s 159 gangs
Posted 24/03/2022
There are 159 gangs operating throughout Panama, according to reports from the Ministry of Security (Minseg). They are concentrated in Panama (90), Colón (33) and Chiriquí (19).
Data from the Anti-Gang Unit of the National Police (PN) indicates that in Colón two of the main groups dedicated to international drug trafficking control the rest, that is, they have 31 criminal cells under their command.
While in West Panama, where four gangs are registered, the scheme changed. The deputy commissioner of the PN Police Investigation Directorate, Raúl Julio, told La Prensa that with the massacre in La Joyita prison on December 17, 2019 —which left 13 dead— the gangs were divided. This, in turn, led to a string of crimes. According to the Homicide and Femicide Prosecutor's Office, in that region, 22 homicides —of 80 committed in the province— are related to La Joyita.
"These individuals know the modus vivendi of their partners, they know their relatives," he says. For this reason, Julio adds, most of the violent acts occurred in the residences of the members of antagonistic criminal groups.
The gangs seek the union or alliance of small criminal groups in each of the neighborhoods that they finance and use to commit high-impact crimes, such as homicides, robberies, extortion, and the distribution and sale of drugs.
Cycle of violence
The authorities often arrest and sentence them, but others reappear, and even co-participate in crimes from prison.Throughout 2020, the Specialized Prosecutor for Crimes of Illicit Association (gang), led by Nahaniel Murgas, participated in 416 hearings, achieving 135 convictions: 29 of those convicted belonged to a gang from Curundú, 20 to one from Colón, and another 20 one from Vera Cruz. The rest relate to cases from across the country. In some, the sentences involved 128 months in prison.
For the sociologist, Gilberto Toro, thefts and robberies express two types of criminal culture. The first is made up of amateur or young criminals and the second is made up of criminals who do not hesitate to commit acts of violence, including murder and kidnapping, in order to achieve their goals.
Thus, theft can be described, according to Toro, as a "crime school" that spins the wheel and perpetuates the cycle of criminal activity.
Toro affirms that this is often preceded by homes in which domestic violence prevails, which cultivates and forms individuals who normalize violence.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-anatomy-of-panamas-159-gangs
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Financial Pacific boss leaves preventive detention after 5 years
Posted 24/03/2022
West Valdés, former president of the now-defunct Financial Pacific brokerage has been released from preventive detention after five years by Judge Baloísa Marquínez Morán, of the Third Court of Criminal Cases who replaced the preventive detention measure with the prohibition to leave without judicial authorization.
Valdés is undergoing criminal proceedings for aggravated fraud in the case of Financial Pacific.
"The judge's decision is due to the fact that the accused today was preventively detained by order of the Second Circuit Discharge Prosecutor's Office of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama, since March 23, 2017, that is, five (5) years ago today. , in accordance with the provisions of article 2141 of the Judicial Code”, says the statement from the Judicial Branch on the measure.
Article 2141 establishes that “preventive detention will be revoked by the judge without further formalities, ex officio or at the request of a party, when the minimum sentence established by law for the crime charged is exceeded, in accordance with the records. procedural In these cases, preventive detention will be replaced by another personal precautionary measure of those indicated in article 2127 of the Judicial Code.
The Judicial Body specified that the preventive detention imposed on Valdés constituted the minimum sentence time in case of being guilty of the crime with which he is accused, therefore a less severe personal precautionary measure was ordered to "guarantee the purposes of the process".
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/financial-pacific-boss-leaves-preventive-detention-after-5-years
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Electoral Tribunal denies $150,000 bank transfer to judge
Heriberto Araúz Sánchez.
Posted 24/03/2022
The Electoral Court (TE) points out that the information circulating on social networks about an "alleged" bank transfer of $150,000, in favor of Judge Heriberto Araúz, president of that corporation, is false.
The alleged transfer would have been received by Araúz on the same day that the TE announced its decision to recognize the criminal electoral jurisdiction in favor of former President Ricardo Martinelli , who is being investigated for the New Business and Odebrecht cases. The decision was supported by magistrates Araúz and Alfredo Juncá ; Eduardo Valdés Escoffery saved his vote.
“The Electoral Court denies information circulating on social networks and in some media, of an alleged bank transfer of B/150,000.00 in favor of the presiding magistrate Heriberto Araúz Sánchez. This information is false. The Banco General has denied the information on its Twitter account”, the TE wrote on its social networks, at 1:44 pm on Thursday, March 24.
Shortly before, at 11:54 am, from a Twitter account with the name @Nancyleon88, an image of the alleged state of a Banco General current account was disclosed, in the name of Heriberto Araúz Sánchez, opened on June 25, 1998, in which a deposit of $150.000 can be seen, made last Wednesday. “This is how the online banking of Heriberto Araúz Sánchez dawned. I don't care if they kick me out after this, but enough of chilling out,” she wrote
Nineteen minutes later, in that same account, the tweeter announced that, in effect, she had been fired from Banco General, "for the crime of leaking a personal account... Thank you @rmartinelli, you have good friends who take care of you."
The @Nancyleon88 account is already inactive, but many people captured those messages and are circulating them on social networks, so that "Banco General", "Nancy" and "Electoral Tribunal" are currently the three main trends in the country, on Twitter reports La Prensa.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/electoral-tribunal-denies-150000-bank-transfer-to-judge
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1000 days and no job creation plan
Posted 23/03/2022
Next Sunday, Laurentino Cortizo celebrates a thousand days as President of the Republic, in the midst of perhaps unprecedented circumstances. Although it is true that governing during this respiratory pandemic should not have been easy, we cannot continue to blame everything on her (or on the previous government). Despite the fact that there have been some successes (for example, in the vaccination process and the modernization of some procedures), as time goes by, the uncertainty in the productive sectors of the country becomes greater. The exacerbated growth of the state payroll, the inexcusable prolongation of the return to face-to-face classes and the existence of hirings of questionable legitimacy, are just examples that contrast with the immense needs that the country has, some of which have been attended with resources obtained through public debt. Now strategies are urgently needed to achieve essential goals and generate jobs for those 416,000 people who, two years later, continue to depend on the Digital Voucher. Have you thought about what will happen to them? $213 million has been spent on consultancies, but none has resulted in a plan for job creation.- LA PRENSA, Mar. 23
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/1000-days-and-no-job-creation-plan
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Rescuing Panama from its citizens
Posted 22/03/2022
I was born in Panama City, grew up, educated and have worked throughout the capital. Never in my life have I seen it so dirty and discolored. There is a sense of abandonment and indifference.
Throughout the city a brand has appeared that dominates the skyline: “for sale or for rent”.
This symptom of the bursting of a housing bubble has been accompanied by others that show the poor health of the patient.
Panama City is invaded by an army of "bien cuidao", scavengers, people with mental illnesses who have been abandoned to their fate and the consequent deterioration of the private and public space of the capital of the Republic.
One morning in March, together with my wife, we went to the General Directorate of Revenue, in the Calidonia area. The "bien cuidao " had appropriated public parking lots, with cones, buckets, boxes, or any other object that would allow them to mark their territory.
The continuation of the procedure required going to a public office on Peru Avenue, in an area in which the problem of "bien cuidao " was magnified. When we left the public office, around noon, we went down Cuba Avenue towards 5 de Mayo and we could see a young woman lying on the sidewalk, right in front of the Lottery building.
The policemen who were with her told -worried- passers-by that it was in vain to call an ambulance because they would not come to pick her up since she is an alcoholic and this happened often.
As if it were the set or scenario for a zombie movie of poor quality, when we finally headed towards the Vía España, a half-naked scavenger was bathing with stagnant water from the street. As a tourist attraction and quite naturally, a lady in Martín Sosa hung out her “freshly washed” clothes on the perimeter fence of the residence of the United States Embassy in La Cresta. It was not yet 1:00 pm
Another day, on a tour of Nuevo Tocumen, we found ourselves in that community with a strong interior flavor, invaded by garbage all along the road and lacking sports infrastructure, outdoor entertainment, and without a cultural offer as such. The inhabitants of the area depend for their food on informal food stalls where bananas, yuccas, yams, tomatoes, onions, carrots and small portions of rice are in plain sight.
This part of Panama City shares a common feature with the urban landscape: the lack of lighting and the poor condition of the streets and sidewalks. In addition, in the case of Panama City, there were no manhole covers, the eternal problem that pedestrians and vehicles face with harsh and costly consequences.
On another trip, to the bowels of San Miguelito, the garbage bags on both sides of the streets and sidewalks are a constant in the landscape, as if these Panamanians did not deserve better. Domingo Díaz and José Agustín Arango, both important and busy roads, are full of garbage. There, next to the Metrobus stop, adjacent to the inns and street vendors, and in the shadow of the imposing structures of Line 2 of the Metro.
A large part of Panama City is awash in garbage, which has taken over public space from pedestrians. This is a city waiting for another fatal epidemic, perhaps cholera, dysentery, or worse. The problem is widespread.
In the very middle class of Hato Pintado there are buzzards camping next to the residential dumps. This Dantesque image can be seen in La Alameda, in Juan Díaz, even on Avenida Balboa (just where they intend to build a new seafood market).
URBAN SPACE WITHOUT URBANITY
An environment such as the one described above can only cause a deterioration in the living habits of the community. What was once a bad habit of a few male drivers is now on its way to becoming a widespread practice. How many times have you observed that in front of you a driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian, in broad daylight, decides to use a sidewalk, park, right of way, or ditch as a restroom? The city has been turned into a urinal.It is embarrassing to pass the beautiful route of the Metropolitan Natural Park, round trip, it is already common to find drivers who, without the slightest modesty, are watering the vegetation. The same happens on the Pan-American highway, in the corridors, on the Alberto Motta highway, or wherever.
It seems that there are no public restrooms in this city. Don't they know that gas stations, fast food restaurants, supermarkets, coffee shops, and all shopping centers have “thrones” worthy of the citizen nobility?
Trying to escape from the city leads you to the same trap. This is how we see it on the Veracruz highway, which is colonized by garbage bags, tall grasslands, and darkness.
The road to Portobelo and Isla Grande does not escape this garbage tragedy and sadly there are already "bien cuidaos" in Portobelo.
The Pan-American Highway, towards the interior, is trapped like a pincer by the traffic of Arraiján and La Chorrera, which is always a favorable opportunity for dozens of street vendors to take to the streets with the risks and roadblocks that this implies.
Because of the economic crisis, the number of street vendors has increased throughout the country.
This situation complicates life in public space because there are also many cases of people who urgently need psychiatric help and have nowhere to turn.
A few weeks ago a young man with a mental illness killed his grandmother for a cell phone card. The family did not have the resources to have the boy in a specialized care center. A few meters from the headquarters of the Ministry of Social Development (Mides), in Plaza Edison, there is a platoon of homeless people, some sleeping under the different overpasses and pedestrian bridges, while others do so on sidewalks and corridors. truly exposed to everything… However, there is no MIDES(Ministery for Social Development) for that.
The pedestrian bridges of Panama City, from Avenida de Los Mártires to San Miguelito, and those towards 24 de Diciembre and Tocumen, are colonized by street vendors, homeless people, and even the mentally ill.
People avoid them for safety reasons and risk being run over. The beautiful Ricardo J. Alfaro avenue has its islets in the El Dorado area converted into an industrial warehouse for the street vendors that swarm in the area. Here there is no Ampyme, municipality, Mides, that assumes responsibility for changing this.
Panama City could be another. This is demonstrated by urbanization called Don Bosco, in the corregimiento of the same name.
Spending a Saturday enjoying sports games at the excellent Roberto Kelly sports center, surrounded by more than a thousand boys and girls from all over the country, ping pong, volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer, and even dance practitioners show another possibility. As there are no restaurants or snack bars in the surroundings, the residents of the Roberto Kelly sell properly prepared food and drinks from their homes at very affordable prices.
Clean streets and a bit of public security provided by units of the National Police give a lot of peace to sporting events.
It was the union of the community, public investment and an adequate security environment, and functional public services that made this possible.
In other words, engaged citizens and good local government. That is the formula that can get us out of the big and small crises, allowing us to recover the great city of Panama and this country. Only Panamanians with commitment can change this. Rodrigo Noriega, La Prensahttps://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/rescuing-panama-from-its-citizens
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Students close highway to protest rector’s re-election
Posted 23/03/2022
A group of university students from the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi) closed the Inter-American highway on Wednesday, March 23 as a sign of rejection of bill No. 756, which makes administrative changes in Unachi and clears the way to the aspirations of the current rector, Etelvina de Bonagas, to seek re-election for the third time.
The bill which now awaits the sanction of President Cortizo– was approved on February 24 in the National Assembly, with 48 votes in favor, five against, and one abstention.
This is the fourth protest carried out by students
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/students-close-highway-to-protest-rectors-re-election
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Gas prices continue to climb
Posted 23/03/2022
The price of 95 octane gasoline will rise three cents to 1.19 cents per liter on Friday, March 25 and
91 octane gasoline will rise two cents to 1.15 cents per liter. Low sulfur diesel adds one cent 1.14 a liter
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gas-prices-continue-to-climb
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33 tuberculosis cases in Metro region
Posted 21/03/2022
TB and HIV may have disappeared from the radar as the covid pandemic has raged but at least 33 cases of tuberculosis, the majority in male patients between 25 and 49 years old, have been registered by the Metropolitan Health Region so far in 2022.
According to the data provided by the authorities, the confirmed cases were detected in Tocumen, Las Garzas, December 24, Las Mañanitas, Calidonia, Chorrillo, Curundú, Río Abajo, Betania, Pueblo Nuevo, Bella Vista, Ancon, Juan Diaz and Pedregal.
On Monday, March 21 the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the economic resources that are being allocated in the world for the fight against tuberculosis are insufficient. It is claimed that this was aggravated by the pandemic.
"Urgent investments are needed to develop and expand access to the most innovative services and instruments to prevent, detect and treat tuberculosis," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the WHO, according to a report by the AFP agency.
On the other hand, the Health region of the metropolitan area reported that this year they have detected 57 cases of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
It is specified that one of these cases is a pregnant patient, also 11 cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are confirmed.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/33-tuberculosis-cases-in-metro-region
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“Red devils” bus operators raffled routes - prosecutor
Transport operators await their day in court at the Roberto Duran center.
Posted 23/03/2022
On the seventh day of the preliminary hearing of 541 people accused of the alleged embezzlement through the irregular compensation of “red devils” type buses between 2010 and 2014, the Prosecutor’s Office revealed that there were cases in which the transport concessionaires carried out raffles for the allocation of operating certificates (quotas) to drivers who owned transport units and who later received compensation. During the session on Tuesday, March 22, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, Kyra Tascon, revealed that in an interrogation of one of the bus owners, he assured that on one occasion the concessionaires were called into a courtyard to make a raffle of operation certificates and that he was the winner.
The Prosecutor's Office also revealed that once the authorities made the announcement of compensation for the buses, as a result of the entry into service of the Metro Bus, there were people who bought several buses in the interior of the country and then introduced them to the bus system as if they were in service on Panama City routes when they were not entitled to compensation.
Until Monday, the Prosecutor's Office had managed to file charges against 340 of the 541 defendants.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/red-devils-bus-operators-raffled-routes-prosecutor
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Lawsuit over land transfer for seafood market
Posted 22/03/2022
A group of citizens presented, a lawsuit on Tuesday, March 22 before the Supreme Court Third Chamber to review the transfer process of land by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to the Mayor's Office of Panama for the construction of a new seafood market, which has caused complaints and objections from different sectors of society.
"We ask the Third Chamber to review the legality of the transfer because the urban linear park is under the administration of the Ministry of Public Works and the MEF, according to the regulations, does not have authorization to give that use to the Mayor's Office of Panama", said the lawyer Giulia de Sanctis, who spoke on behalf of the plaintiff group.
De Sanctis recalled that other reasons for the lawsuit filed against the MEF and the Minister of Economy and Finance, Héctor Alexander, is that when the transfer of the farms was carried out, without public consultation.
The jurist stated that by giving these three farms a different use, the rule that governs the coastal strip is being violated. "We believe that the Third Chamber should review whether what was done is legal or not," she reiterated.
The group, according to the spokeswoman, is very concerned about the future of the coastal strip that is currently used by thousands of Panamanians and emphasized that it would break with that reality to carry out a project that is rejected by the community.
She pointed out that the mayor of Panama, José Luis Fábrega, held a public consultation in November 2021 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, "at which there were only 20 people.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/lawsuit-over-land-transfer-for-seafood-market
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Unionized workers asked to ignore strike call in "totally depressed" industry
Posted 21/03/2022
The Panamanian Chamber of Construction (Capac) has called on unionized workers not to support the strike declaration announced by union leaders after negotiations concluded on March 8.
A Capac statement, warned workers of the "serious damage of a strike in the current circumstances of the industry" and especially because during the stoppage "they will not receive wages."
The organization also stated that its objective in these negotiations of the Capac-Suntracs collective agreement is to maintain the current jobs and the conditions that allow the activation of a "totally depressed" industry.
Of the 153 clauses of the collective agreement, 148 have been negotiated, of which the three clauses related to the salary aspect are pending agreement.
Capac reiterated that Suntracs proposes "unacceptable" wages above the real possibilities of the industry and construction companies.
In recent days, reports La Prensa the National Union of Construction and Similar Workers (Suntracs) announced that in its general assembly – in its second and third calls – it was unanimously and definitively approved to start the indefinite national strike on April 4 if there is no agreement with Capac regarding salary for the 2022-2025 collective agreement.
Suntracs has calculated that around 20,000 workers would join the strike
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Interpol red alert follows sexual exploitation probe
Posted 21/03/2022
A two-day diligence in a shelter and in several communities located on the border between Panama and Costa Rica, to collect information on the 5 minors, possible victims of human trafficking, was carried out by specialists in psychology and social work of the Ministry of Public Security together with the Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime and the support of the National Border Service.
The minors were rescued in the Binational Operation between Panama and Costa Rica, called "Luz de Esperanza".
The team from the Ministry of Public Security, together with personnel from the Prosecutor's Office Against Organized Crime, traveled to the district of Barú, district of El Progreso, at the Zapatero farm in the border area with Costa Rica, as part of the investigation process of this operation. , in which it was possible to dismantle and capture two members of a group that was engaging in human trafficking, in the form of sexual exploitation.
A red alert has been issued through Interpol for the capture of a woman linked to the group.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/interpol-red-alert-follows-sexual-exploitation-probe
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No covid deaths and positivity falls to 3.6%
Posted 20/03/2022
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported on Sunday, March 21, the first day this year with no deaths from Covid-19 in the country.
There were 193 new cases and 5,416 tests were carried out for positivity of 3.6%. There are 110 hospitalized patients, 96 in a room and 14 in intensive care.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/health/no-covid-deaths-and-positivity-falls-to-36
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OPINION: Theft of buses gives life to old phrase
Posted 20/03/2022
After what we have heard in the preliminary hearing for the irregular compensation paid to the owners of the 'red devils', it is clear that in this country it is very easy to get rich, at the expense of the State, dishonestly and, probably, some without receiving punishment (at least for a long time). Until now, the most popular modalities to fleece the treasury, although brazen, had a certain subtlety: turnkey contracts, surcharges, addenda, subsidies, payroll, double salaries, travel expenses, consultancies... in short, the vicious circle in which all government administrations. But in this week's hearing at the Roberto Durán Arena, an entrenched criminal structure has been revealed and executed from within government agencies so that, with the approval of the Comptroller's Office, Numerous individuals charged several times for the delivery of the same good and even ended up taking something that already belonged to the State, to continue profiting from it. With the theft of things as large as a bus, the country has given a new meaning to the phrase “from hand to hand, an elephant was lost”.- LA PRENSA, Mar. 20.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-theft-of-buses-gives-life-to-old-phrase
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Bus operators rushed to banks to cash scam checks
Posted 19/03/2022
At the end of the fifth day of the preliminary hearing of 541 people for alleged embezzlement through compensation to owners of red devil buses, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office requested (so far) to call 227 of the accused to trial.
In the hearing that in the Roberto Durán gym, the prosecutors have presented copies of the paid checks, of the liquidation, and of the reactivation of the trunk bus quotas that, after charging, continued to circulate in the corridors.
Prosecutors Anilú Batista and Kyra Tascón argued that the evidence provided shows a clear association between carriers, officials of the Transit Authority (ATTT), representatives of the loan companies, and individuals, to obtain irregular compensation, which caused "a serious damage to the State”.
Prosecutor Tascón presented the connection of owners of buses that were out of service and who were later re-registered on service bus routes in the corridors, to obtain more compensation in the order of $75,000.
The investigation revealed that the owners of liquidated buses cashed the checks and then went to local banks to cash them quickly and leave no trace of the money.
In addition, a direct relationship between carriers, ATTT officials, and borrowers was evidenced, to speed up the compensation process reports La Prensa.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/bus-operators-rushed-to-banks-to-cash-scam-checks
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Kidnap suspects await double murder hearing
Posted 19/03/2022
DAVID, Chiriquí.- A guarantee judge opened a criminal case against Gustavo Bonilla 'Tavin' and Jenniffer del Carmen Castillo Amores, on Saturday,March 19 for the alleged kidnapping of American citizen, Randalph Leigh Steittmeir and Armando Miranda Pittí, an event that occurred on October 24, 2021.
Both citizens are also being investigated for crimes against economic assets since there is evidence that, through a bank account, payments were made for the deprivation of liberty of the US citizen and his brother-in-law of Chirican origin.
Prosecutor Andrés Chimillo, requested provisional detention for six months, while the investigations continue for both defendants.
Meanwhile, in the coming days, the Public Ministry of the province of Coclé will be calling a control hearing for both accused of the murder of Stettmeier and Miranda Pittí, since their bodies were found on the side of the Inter-American highway, at the bridge over the Chico River, Nata.
Meanwhile, in the coming days, the Public Ministry of the province of Coclé will be calling a control hearing for both accused of the murder of Stettmeier and Miranda Pittí, since their bodies were found on the side of the Inter-American highway, at the height of the bridge over the Chico River, Nata.
Steittmeir and Pittí were kidnapped after they received a phone call to propose a fumigation job in the province of Veraguas.
According to the investigations, Leigh Steittmeir had an aerial fumigation company and was contacted to do a job in Soná de Veraguas. The American went to the indicated place with Miranda Pittí and his secretary Ruth Saucedo.
When trying to locate them, their relatives realized that the cell phones had been turned off. The relatives later received several calls from the kidnappers asking for money in exchange for their release. Days later, the bodies of the two men were found.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/kidnap-suspects-await-double-murder-hearing
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Spanish media feast on Martinelli spying scandal
Indira Bruno was allegedly harassed by Martinelli.
Posted 20/03/2022
Readers of Spanish media were titillated on Sunday, with WhatsApp conversations between former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli and a police team he had allegedly hired to monitor his girlfriend Indira Brunot.
The Sunday newspaper Última Hora disclosed text messages that the former president allegedly had with the people who set up the espionage and surveillance of Brunot.
“Did you see something strange between The Captain of the boat and Indi?, Hugs, kisses, touch, etc … ”, is one of the texts that the Spanish media disclosed.
There are at least 20 text messages that have come to light in the Spanish media, in which the instructions and information about the woman were supposedly given.
The media have reported that it was a surveillance and monitoring operation against the businesswoman, which began in July 2020.
“She is at home pissed off by the monitoring”, “She says I have spies”, are two other messages that appear in the texts published by Última Hora about the data that the former president allegedly gave to his contacts.
"Pluma 3 you are authorized to see if you enter the hornet's nest", "Caesar's wife not only has to be but to back off the attacks", "Be careful, he fucks her...".
“Mario EG, owner of the escort company Group Kougar, seems to know Martinelli's girlfriend from when she guarded his exhibitions. Thus, July 2020 arrives and it is not surprising that the politician contacts them for a "special little job",wrote Ultima Hora.
The alleged instructions continue with another dozen messages: "The boy who is his type should proceed", "He is at home, he has just taken a bath", "Watch out, they already saw them", "I told you that a single man who lives in your house is with her all day”, …“I don't like love” … go to Martinelli and come back”.
AFP reports At least 11 people, including four agents of the Spanish Civil Guard, are being investigated for the espionage case.
On Thursday, March 17, the news agency reported that Martinelli is being investigated in Spain in a case of espionage and harassment of a woman.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/spanish-media-feast-on-martinelli-spying-scandal
Rulings-for-sale trial splashes two former judges
in Corruption, Fraud, and Scandals - Investigations / Prosecutions
Posted
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/lawyer-son-of-former-supreme-court-judge-gets-five-years-for-selling-judgments-1