Bud
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Prosecutor gets more time to investigate bullet dodger
Posted on August 1, 2016 in Panama
Artful Dodger VirziPost Views: 80FORMER Vice-President Felipe ‘Pipo’ Virzi who is dodging the bullet of a court hearing in a case with potentially heavy sentences, faced another judicial hearing on Monday August 1 when the prosecutor was granted two more months to complete investigations into the alleged falsification of documents and fraud.
Judge Edith Guizado authorized the extension in a a case involving Edy Corporation, SA, with fraud allegedly committed by Virzi and Maria de Los Angeles Pitti, native of the province of Chiriqui.
The case aims to clarify how Edy Corporation, S.A. – in which Virzi is listed as shareholder, acquired the island Sevilla in Chiriqui, valued at $25 million. The event happened while Virzi was under house arrest in another case.
Virzi, who was second vice-president in the government of Ernesto Perez Balladares (1994-1999), has other ongoing processes in the Public Ministry. He currently has an injunction barring him from leaving the country as part of the investigation into the irregularities in the award of the failed Tonosí irrigation project, awarded in the administration of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014). That case is set to resume in November.
The previous hearing was put on hold as Virzi made a literal last minute move to run for office in the PRD elections, last weekend, and gained electoral immunity.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/prosecutor-gets-time-investigate-bullet-dodger
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For those like me who have been here for more than a decade, you will remember this serious issue that was on the front pages of the newspapers. I am disappointed but not surprised at the outcome.
QuoteMass poisoning victims protest court whitewash
Posted on August 1, 2016 in Panama
Protestors at the courtPost Views: 38SURVIVORS and families of victims of the mass poisoning by government supplied cough mixture containing diethylene glycol, protested outside Panama’s Supreme Court on Monday August 1.
The protest was held against a decision of the court released on Friday that after 10 years of protests, cleared senior officials of Social Security (CSS) who were in office at the time of the poisoning in 2006.
Antonio Vargas, who represents victims and their families, said the decision will be appealed. He added that once domestic options are exhausted, they will appeal to international authorities.
He said that during a hearing earlier this year evidence was presented that implicated the officials.
Vargas asked: “How can the court justify the acquittal of a few and the condemnation of others?”
He said the case represents a “historic” tragedy that continues to have an impact on a large number of people in the country.
Hundreds of people died and thousands of others were made ill due to cough syrup that was tainted with diethylene glycol. The medicine was distributed by Social Security.
The verdict absolved René Luciani, who served as Social Security Director , and former employees Linda Thomas and Pablo Solis Gonzalez. Also freed was Teófilo Gateno, the legal representative of the company that approved the financing of Medicom, the company that sold the product, and Josefa De La Cruz, the director of Medicom.
The court did sentence Medicom Director Ángel De La Cruz to five years in prison, and also punished three former Social Security employees with 12 month sentences.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/mass-poisoning-victims-protest-court-whitewash
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During my initial visit to Panama in 2001, I tried (stupidly, I might add) to talk a tour guide into taking me on a tour of the Darien. Fortunately for me, he refused, and not even politely. I have never forgotten that experience. Having read Jim's article, it seems as if there is a lot of truth behind the word on the street. Don't go into the Darien.
On the other hand, I have talked with some hardwood tree investors who own teak farms in the Darien, and they talk about it as perfectly safe.
To each his own. My preference is to avoid the Darien.
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FOUR rescued from blazing yacht
Posted on July 31, 2016 in Panama
Post Views: 187PANAMA’S National Naval Air Service (SENAN) became the focus of Taboga beach lounging shutter bugs on Sunda, July 31, during the rescue of four people, including expats, from a blazing yacht off Taboga, The Island of Flowers, on the Pacific side of the Isthmus.
The 34 footer “Bandido” had sailed from Flamenco Island on the Amador Causeway.
On board were the Panamanian captain, Aníbal Bello, the vessel’s Spanish owner, Pedro Bea, Italian,Manfredo Ruffenivo, and Panamanian Mailyn Vasquez.
They told their Senan rescuers that they didn’t know the cause of the fire that suddenly engulfed them in smoke.
They were taken to hospital in the capital city for medical care.
Abdiel Garcia, of Senan, said the fire was possibly caused by electrical damage.
The yacht was completely destroyed.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/four-rescued-blazing-yacht
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News Room Panama really should do a better job of proofreading their copy before it goes into print. I refer to the highlighted date below. In the title, no less!
QuoteCardinal says Panama ready for Pope’s global event
Posted on July 31, 2016 in Panama
Archbishop Ulloa and Cardinal LacunzaPost Views: 53PANAMANIAN CARDINAL, Jose Luis Lacunza took aim at skeptics on Sunday July 29 [sic]. affirming that that Panama will be able to organize the World Youth Day and gave as an example the expansion of the Panama Canal.
Saying that “’The World Youth Day set for 2019, will improve Panamanian society.
At a press conference in Krakow, Poland, soon after Pope Francis named Panama as the location for the next event ,Lacunza said: ” Panamanians have not only been able to manage the Canal, but to expand the Canal, taking on the challenge that Panama remains the bridge of the world and the heart of the universe. And in this case it will be the bridge in the world and the heart of the universe for the youth of the world, but in a very special way in Latin America, ”
Lacunza stressed that both the “central” geographical position of Panama with “good communications” by both by air and land facilitate access for Central American countries like Mexico and regions such North and South America.
“Having this facility we want to be a revitalization of youth in Panama and throughout Latin America.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Panama José Domingo Ulloa who led Panama’s candidacy was supported by the Episcopate of Central America, said that the celebration of World Youth Day in Panama will be a “balm” for young people who lead excluded lives doomed to poverty and migration, people trafficking and drug trafficking.
On the reasons why the Pope chose Panama, Ulloa said that it is “going to the periphery of these youths, thirsting for opportunities.”
FIRST DIOCESE
“Panama was the first diocese on the American mainland, founded on September 9, 1513 in this small country that has always been a bridge for all in the world of communication. It was spreading the faith throughout the Americas through thousands and thousands of missionaries, “he said.Panama layman Victor Chang, a member of the organizing committee, revealed that when the proposal was presented to Panama, it had “already made a first assessment of capabilities.”
“We had many plans in mind and waited for the confirmation of the Holy Father to begin to realize things. It’s going to be a feast for Panamanians and for everyone,” he added.
The press conference ended with an effusive invitation to all young people to participate in World Youth Day 2019.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/cardinal-affirms-panama-ready-popes-global-event
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Numbers limited for Panama World Youth Day
Posted on July 31, 2016 in Panama
Panamanians celebrate in KrakowPost Views: 87PANAMA’S HOSTING of the 2019 World Youth Day, announced by Pope Francis in Krakow on Sunday July 31 will not be the four million extravaganza visualized by some proponents.
The four day event in other countries has drawn millions from nearly 200 countries around the world, with The Philippines topping the bill with over five million.
With its traffic clogged streets and limited public transport, Panama’s event is likely to be a much more modest affair.
The Apostolic Nuncio of the Vatican in Panama, Andrés Carrascosa Coso, said on Sunday July 31 on TVN-2.that the number of expected will be something the city could cope with around 300,000, making it the smallest event since it was introduced by Pope Paul ll.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/numbers-limited-panama-world-youth-day
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Panama to host Pope’s World Youth Day
Posted on July 31, 2016 in Panama, World
Post Views: 118PANAMA will be the next host of World Youth Day (WYD) in 2019.
The widely anticipated announcement came from Pope Francis minutes before the end of this year’s celebration in Krakow, Poland and the 1,500 strong Panamanian delegation erupted in glee.
“With joy I announce that the next World Youth Day will be in 2019 in Panama, “said the Argentine pontiff after praying the Angelus before more than one million people.
The hundreds of young Panamanians who occupied the front rows of the Campus of Mercy on the outskirts of Krakow during the closing Mass burst into cheers.
It is the first time that Central America will be the host of the Catholic event.
Brazil hosted the WYD in 2013 in Rio de Janeiro in which about 3.7 million people participated.
It is considered the second most massive WYD in history after the event in Manila, Philippines, drew 5 million people.
In 1987, the Buenos Aires, Argentina, also hosted the activity.
The carrying of the cross is a central theme at WYD
WYD in several respects transcends its religious significance. The global importance of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro was reflected, among other features by the appearance this year, for the second time, of the image of Francisco on the cover of the international edition of Time magazine under the title “The People’s Pope.”
World Youth Day was created in 1984, when after the conclusion of the Holy Year of Redemption, John Paul II delivered a wooden cross four meters high to youth inviting them to take it worldwide.
Since it has been held in Rome (1985), Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (Spain) in 1989; Czestochowa (Poland) in 1991; Denver (Colorado, (USA) in 1993; Manila in 1995, Paris in 1997; Rome again during the Jubilee 2000, and Toronto (Canada) in 2002.
It was held In Cologne (Germany) in 2005 in Sydney (Australia) in 2008; in Madrid (Spain) in 2011, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 2013 and in Krakow (Poland) 2016.
REDEMPTION
It is a form of redemption For President Juan Carlos Varela who with his wife has been widely lampooned for his seeming obsession with chasing the Pope. But, if the event is held after July 1 2019 Varela will miss out as greeter in chief as his successor will be in office.Concerns have also been raised over the country’s ability to provide enough buses to transport the hundreds of thousands of visitors during the event. It is a challenge that the Tourism Authority, with declining visitors, looks forward to meeting
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panama-host-next-world-youth-day
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On 7/28/2016 at 8:40 AM, Bud said:
Some of our very close Panamanian friends (including one daughter who is participating in the Pope's Youth Conference) are in Poland this week for this very special event in their lives.
We hope that there are no untoward incidents during this conference, given the religious nature of the conference, the location, and the dignitaries who are attending.
Fortunately there were no untoward incidents in Poland during this event, and our friends have now safely returned to Boquete.
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Thank you. Bonnie.
I suspect this was not an easy post for you. It is incredibly insightful, well written, and valuable information.
I am so glad that we were able to meet Larry prior to his passing. That was a special event for us. And you are special for us as well.
With love,
Bud and Marcelyn-
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Marcelyn and I had dinner last night with friends at one of the Peruvian restaurants here in Boquete -- Restaurante La Casa del Cuzco. It is located just across the small bridge west of Plaza Los Establos.
The menu was extensive, with a LOT of fish related items. First we had drinks and chicken fingers as appetizers. Our friends ordered fish entrees, and we ordered a "chicken princess" plate. Service was very attentive, food was excellent with good seasonings, and prices were reasonable. The only down side of the evening was the noise level, as there were other tables occupied with chatting guests. I guess we contributed to the noise level as well, because we did a lot of chatting ourselves during our 2+ hour gathering with good friends. We were inside the restaurant, not on the outdoor patio area.
This dining experience was a pleasant surprise.
We plan to go back.
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Another sexual trafficking ring busted
Posted on July 29, 2016 in Panama
Post Views: 165A DAWN raid in Panama has broken up another human trafficking rink and freed a group of victims of sexual exploitation as part of a stepped up campaign against the human trade..
The operation began early Friday July 29 at PH Sofia and The Splendor tower on Calle 78 and the Splendor tower, in the Carrasquilla, district of San Francisco.
Three people were arrested, two Colombians and a Venezuelan and seven victims two Venezuelan, two Colombian, two Panamanians and a Nicaraguan were rescued, reports the Public Ministry.
Organized crime prosecutor Esperanza Montenegro said the operation was positive, since it was possible to dismantle a network that captured young people to exploit them sexually and get profit from it. She said the investigation would continue and appealed to the population to be sensitized to the issue of trafficking, as it is a disease that severely affects society.
Panama Authorities have dismantled several trafficking networks in recent months. On July 20 a ring operating in an apartment tower with 52 victims in El Cangrejo, was dismantled. A similar action was held in Costa del Este in June.
Penalties under the Criminal Code of for the crimes of trafficking for sexual exploitation call for jail terms of 20 -30 years
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/another-sexual-trafficking-ring-busted
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Panama: More Wind Power Generation
Post Views: 107
In the first five months of the year wind generated electricity exceeded 600 million Kwh, almost three times more than in the same period in 2015.
The national supply of electricity generated by wind power grew by 259% in the period January-May 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, according to figures from the Office of the Comptroller General of Colombia.
See also: “Panama: Electricity Market Figures in May 2016“
Electricity generation using solar power rose from 502,000 kwh in the first five months of 2015 to more than 19 million in the same period this year.
Thermal plants increased their generation by 25%, while electricity from hydraulic sources decreased by 15% compared to the same period in 2015, the result of drought during this period.
http://panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com/blog/news-from-panama/panama-more-wind-power-generation/
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Panamanian named to key UN post
Posted on July 28, 2016 in Panama
Dr Natalia KamenPost Views: 74WHILE PANAMA’S Assembly struggles to get to grips with the issue of sexual education in schools, the UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon has named a Panamanian as new adjunct general secretary of the United Nations Population Fund, which aims to promote safe sexual practices among other issues.
Dr Natalia Kanem arrives at that position with more than 25 years experience in strategic leadership in the fields of medicine, public and reproductive health, peace, social justice and philanthropy.
She has taught at Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University.
Kanem holds a degree in medicine from Columbia in New York and a master’s degree in public health, with a specialization in epidemiology and preventive medicine, from the University of Washington.
She also graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in history and science.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panamanian-named-key-un-post
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Vaccination slashes flu season to 5 weeks
Posted on July 28, 2016 in Health, Panama
Over 1.7 million vaccinationsPost Views: 26PANAMA’S Flu season which normally lasts 12 weeks was cut down, to only five weeks this year, largely due to a massive vaccination program of over two thirds of the population.
However, people should not let their guard down said Gorgas Memorial Institute Director Nestor Sosa
There were 61 deaths blamed on the flu. And the epidemic left a large number hospitalized, but most of them have been released.
The specialist said that the vaccine applied in the country protects people against three viruses: A (H1N1) influenza B and H3N2.
Influenza B and H3N2 are two viruses that still not have entered the country this year, but it could be an issue in the future.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/flu-season-cut-12-5-weeks
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Panama hoping to exit tax haven list
Posted on July 28, 2016 in Panama
Post Views: 60HOPES ARE HIGH in Panama that the country’s name will be missing from a list of tax havens to be published by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in July next year.
To determine if a country is cooperative or non-cooperative with regard to tax matters, the body will use three criteria: the implementation of the exchange of information, the commitment to send bank wire information automatically from 2018 and the signing of the multilateral convention on mutual administrative assistance in tax matters.
Over the next year the organization will review the implementation of the regime for the exchange of information.
Panama is committed to the automatic exchange of information starting from 2018 and has said it will sign the multilateral convention. It is currently in phase II of the peer review of its assessment process. If the rating is negative, it will have until July 2017 to make corrections.
Gian Castillero, an adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the country will automatically be part of the list of tax havens if it fails to pass the phase II evaluation, regardless of whether or not it has met the other two criteria.
“Panama hopes to be evaluated as ‘partially compliant.’ If not, we will have until July 2017 to improve the assessment,” said Castillero.
OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said in the report presented to the G20 that it was “delighted to announce that it received a letter from the vice president of Panama formally requesting an invitation to sign the multilateral convention after its ratification, which will allow them to better implement commitments for the exchange of information upon request as well as the automatic exchange of financial information,” reports La Prensa.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/business/panama-4/panama-hoping-exit-tax-haven-list
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Some of our very close Panamanian friends (including one daughter who is participating in the Pope's Youth Conference) are in Poland this week for this very special event in their lives.
We hope that there are no untoward incidents during this conference, given the religious nature of the conference, the location, and the dignitaries who are attending.
QuoteVarela and first lady head to Pope’s youth conference
Posted on July 27, 2016 in Panama, World
Post Views: 52AFTER A brief stopover in Milan Italy, to meet with businessmen and sign off on the compensation deal with Finmeccanica which papers over the irregularities in the $250 million helicopter plot initiated by Ricardo Martinelli, President Juan Carlos Varela and his extended team headed for Poland,
He is accompanied by Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado and First Lady Lorena Castillo de Varela. They arrived in Krakow Wednesday to participate in the Pope’s International Youth Conference.
Tthey will join the 1,500 Panamanian youths participating in the conference.
Varela and his entourage, including Panama Ambassador to Poland Enrique Zarak, were received by Poland President Andrzej Duda.
It was was officially opened Tuesday and will run through Sunday.
The star guest, Pope Francis also arrived Wednesday. It will be his first visit of to Poland
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/varela-first-lady-head-popes-youth-conference
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Cabinet approved contract unaware of Martinelli linked shell co.
Posted on July 27, 2016 in Panama
PRESIDENT Varela, Panama's ambassador in Italy, Fernando Berguido, and Vice President and Foreign Minister Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, with Italian businessmen. (Photo courtesy of the Presidency).Post Views: 112CONTRACTS signed with Italian defense contractor Finmeccanica in 2010 were presented to cabinet with no reference to commissions for a shell company linked to then president Ricardo Martinelli.
The information was provided by President Juan Carlos Varela in Milan Italy, in talks with La Prensa after meeting with entrepreneurs and Italian politicians in order to boost investments in Italy.
“The contracts were presented and supported by Minister of Security [José Raúl Mulino]. President Martinelli then asked for their approval. No one knew that it had included a commission for Agafia,” said Varela, referring to the shell company that received a commission as part of the $250 million contract.
Varela, who was chancellor at the time, said he was limited to playing a role in the protocol of the signing of the contract.
Agafia was created by Valter Lavítola, the Italian businessman who has been the subject of several corruption cases in the Courts of Rome and Naples and is currently in jail awaiting anotheer trial.
“When the existence of the commission emerged, I asked publicly for the annulment of the contract,” said the president.
Panama and Italy finished an agreement this week that granted Panama compensation for economic damage it suffered due to irregularities in the contract.
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Panama Papers Reveal Wide Use of Shell Companies by African Officials
By SCOTT SHANEJULY 25, 2016
PhotoPolice officers in Panama City standing guard outside the offices of the law firm Mossack Fonseca during a raid on April 12. Credit Ed Grimaldo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Entrepreneurs and corrupt officials across Africa have used shell companies to hide profits from the sale of natural resources and the bribes paid to gain access to them, according to records leaked from a Panamanian law firm.
Owners of the hidden companies include, from Nigeria alone, three oil ministers, several senior employees of the national oil company and two former state governors who were convicted of laundering ill-gotten money from the oil industry, new reports about Africa based on the Panama Papers show. The owners of diamond mines in Sierra Leone and safari companies in Kenya and Zimbabwe also created shell companies.
Some of the assets cycled through the shell companies were used to buy yachts, private jets, Manhattan penthouses and luxury homes in Beverly Hills, Calif., the law firm documents show.
Articles posted on Monday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and reports being published this week by news media organizations in 17 African countries, underscore the critical role that secret shell companies can play in facilitating tax evasion, bribery and other crimes. In Africa, offshore finance often underlies the exploitation of mineral wealth, with the benefits bypassing the public and going largely to wealthy executives and the government officials they pay off.
The 11.5 million documents taken from the Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, by a source who has not been identified have been the subject of news coverage around the world since April, shedding new light on the murky world of offshore finance. The Panama Papers project, organized by the international journalists’ consortium, has involved more than 400 reporters around the world and has set off criminal investigations in many countries.
Mossack Fonseca has said it should not be blamed for wrongdoing by its customers. “We merely help incorporate companies, and before we agree to work with a client in any way, we conduct a thorough due-diligence process,” the firm said in a statement. The statement noted that the firm had not been charged with criminal wrongdoing in nearly 40 years of operation.
But the journalists found that Mossack Fonseca had sometimes missed or ignored evidence of criminal investigations or charges against its clients. Though the records show that the law firm did scrutinize many of those who sought its services, its reviews were often belated or incomplete, according to the articles’ main author, Will Fitzgibbon, who works at the consortium’s office in Washington.
Several major figures examined in the new Panama Papers reports have previously been accused of wrongdoing, and some are under criminal investigation or have been charged. But the details of their use of shell companies had not previously been disclosed.The consortium identified 37 companies created by the law firm that had been named in court actions or government investigations involving natural resources in Africa. All told, Mossack Fonseca’s files revealed offshore companies that were established to own or do business with oil, natural gas and mining operations in 44 of Africa’s 54 countries.
In one major criminal case, Farid Bedjaoui, a nephew of a former Algerian foreign minister, has been accused by Italian prosecutors of arranging $275 million in bribes to help Saipem, an Italian oil and gas services company, win pipeline contracts in Algeria worth $10 billion. Mr. Bedjaoui, called “Mr. Three Percent” in news media reports for his purported share of the payoffs, has denied the charges.
The journalists’ consortium found that Mossack Fonseca had created 12 of the 17 shell companies linked to Mr. Bedjaoui that Italian prosecutors are investigating as possible conduits for bribes from 2007 to 2010. One of them, Collingdale Consultants Inc., was used to divert as much as $15 million to associates and the family of Chakib Khelil, Algeria’s energy minister from 1999 to 2010, according to the charges.
Mr. Bedjaoui, who has Algerian, French and Canadian citizenship, is accused of spinning a complex web to hide his money, with 16 bank accounts in Algeria, Dubai, Hong Kong, Lebanon, London, Singapore and Switzerland. His assets have been seized in Canada and France, where the police reportedly took a 140-foot yacht and paintings by Warhol, Miró and Dalí. United States officials are examining three New York properties bought by Mr. Bedjaoui, including a $28.5 million Fifth Avenue condominium, records show.
PhotoRamón Fonseca, a partner and co-founder of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, during an interview in April at his office in Panama City. Credit Arnulfo Franco/Associated Press
Though the investigation of Mr. Bedjaoui first made headlines in February 2013, internal emails at Mossack Fonseca suggest that the law firm did not notice the trouble until seven months later, while conducting an internet search on another client.
Pressed by officials in the British Virgin Islands, where most of the shell companies were registered, Mossack Fonseca said it was unable to provide contact details for employees at the law firm who had served as nominal directors for some of the companies under investigation.
The law firm’s managing director in the British Virgin Islands wrote in an internal email that not having “the basic information on employees is totally embarrassing,” and might result in a fine.
While Mossack Fonseca reported Mr. Bedjaoui’s activities to the authorities in the British Virgin Islands in 2013, the law firm continued working with one of his companies, Rayan Asset Management, until at least November 2015.
Offshore middlemen have incentives “not to know what the companies they are forming are going to be used for,” said Heather Lowe, a lawyer at Global Financial Integrity, an anticorruption group in Washington. “If they know too much, they might have to turn away business.”
As a result, she said, “there’s often no gatekeeper to prevent illicit money from entering the financial system.”
Kola Aluko, an oil and aviation mogul and one of four defendants accused of helping to cheat the Nigerian government out of $1.8 billion in proceeds from oil sales, was another jet-setting user of Mossack Fonseca’s services who was examined by the consortium.
The New York Times reported last year that Mr. Aluko had used shell companies to buy two Beverly Hills mansions for $39 million and two others in Santa Barbara, Calif., for $33 million. In May, shortly after one of the Beverly Hills homes was sold for $21 million, a Nigerian court froze Mr. Aluko’s assets, including a yacht once rented by Beyoncé and Jay Z, two Manhattan penthouses, 132 houses and apartments in Nigeria, $67 million in bank accounts, 58 cars and three airplanes.
Mr. Aluko told the journalists’ consortium that he had never been convicted of a crime and that speculation about wrongdoing on his part was “misguided.”
“As a private citizen, I organize my business and family matters to maximize convenience, as well as operational and administrative efficiency,” he said in a statement.
In another case, the consortium found 131 companies set up by Mossack Fonseca for the Israeli mining magnate Benjamin Steinmetz and his holding company. (The holding company, BSG Resources, told the journalists’ consortium that it had “no familiarity” with many of the companies.) One company, Koidu Limited, mines diamonds in Sierra Leone and is the target of protests and complaints from local residents and environmental advocates.
More surprising, perhaps, is the use of shell companies by safari operators in several African countries — at least 30 offshore companies set up by Mossack Fonseca, the consortium found. As in other African ventures, the offshore operations make it possible to conceal money earned in developing countries but moved elsewhere from the tax authorities or the public.
The journalists’ consortium posted with its articles an online quiz to test knowledge about Africa, its natural resources and offshore finance.
A version of this article appears in print on July 25, 2016, on page A9 of the New York edition with the headline: Panama Papers Reveal Wide Use of Shell Companies by African Officials
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PRD group moves to block Virzi trial dodge
Posted on July 26, 2016 in Panama
Virzii, righ, was a member of the Martinelli., inner circlePost Views: 127A GROUP of National Revolutionary Party (PRD) activists have made a move to stymie an attempt by ex-vice president Felipe “Pipo” Virzi, to use the party’s election program to stall his criminal trial.
On Tuesday, July 26, the Coordinator for the “Rescue Torrijista” faction, focused on restoring the party’s credibility, presented a challenge to Virzi’s candidacy for the fifth undersecretary of the PRD National Executive Committee (CEN)
Currently, Virzi is the subject of several lawsuits in the Public Ministry.
Members of the group said that this nomination hurts the image of the party that is in the process of renewal.
“We express our strong opposition to the PRD being used for delaying tactics for the sole purpose of evading prosecution. To do so would be to accept practices adopted by other political groups, which would further undermine the already tarnished image of the party”, said a statement issued by the group.
On July 18 , the last minute move by Virzi to run for election forced the suspension of the hearing into the failed Tonosí irrigation contract, in which Virzi is one of 33 accused some of whom were, like Virzi, members of the inner circle of ex-president Ricardo Marinelli, and some of whom, like Martinelli, have fled Panama.
The period of challenges to the candidacies CEN of the PRD and other collective management positions will culminate on Friday, July 29, at 4:00 p.m.
A total of 41 nominations have presented to occupy 10 places in the CEN.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/prd-group-moves-block-virzi-trial-dodge-ploy
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New anti-drug task force for Panama
Posted on July 26, 2016 in Panama
Post Views: 140A NEW anti-drugs task force is being created in Panama following the recent success of a “combined operations” swoop involving the participation of more than 200 agents from a number of regional agencies
At a meeting of the Security Council in Cocoli on Monday, July 25, President Juan Carlos Varela , said that the force will be aimed at stopping drug trafficking by working with regional partners.
Varela said that agents will be hand-picked for the new entity from existing security forces.
The decision by Varela was made after the success of “Operation Shield,” which. The operation targeted drug trafficking along Panama’s borders.
This operation involves offices from the police, Immigration, the aero-naval agency Senan, Border Patrol and Institutional Protection Services.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/new-anti-drug-task-force-panama
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ATP anuncia Museo del Café e inauguración de paradores fotográficos en rendición de cuentas
Rendición de cuentas atp. Foto/Yorlenne Morales RPC Radio|Viola Guevara Gallimore 5 jul 2016 01.30pm
En su rendición de cuentas la Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP) destacó la inversión en infraestructura que se ha realizado en estos 24 meses de gestión, resaltando varias, entre ellas Isla Taboga y Paso Canoas, y también anunciando nuevos proyectos.
Gustavo Him, administrador general de la ATP, se refirió especpificamente a la inversión de 1.5 millones de dólares para mejorar Isla Taboga y el inicio de la remodelación del edificio de Frontera de Paso Canoas.
Añadió Him que entre las proyecciones, se tiene previsto construir un Museo del Café, el cual estará ubicado en la ciudad de Boquete, provincia de Chiriquí, específicamente en el Centro de Interpretación y Facilidades Turísticas de esta ciudad.
Destacó la inauguración del nuevo parador fotográfico en la Cinta Costera y anunció que a mediados de julio se inaugurarán otros nuevos en Chame, Boquete y la Calzada de Amador.
Hasta mayo del 2016, a Panamá ingresaron unos 125 mil 808 europeos destacó Him quien señaló que el país continúa siendo un nuevo atractivo turístico para el mercado europeo. Esta cifra es parte del millón 122 mil 135 visitantes que de enero a mayo de este año, han ingresado a Panamá por vía marítima, aérea y terrestre.
Lo anterior logró que Panamá ocupara el séptimolugar en un ranking mundial que evalúa la rapidez del aumento de llegada de visitantes a un país.
http://www.telemetro.com/nacionales/ATP-Museo-Cafe-Chiriqui-fotograficos_0_932307426.html
Following is an automated translation of this article. Fidelity is questionable.
QuoteATP announces the Coffee Museum and inauguration of the Paradors photography accountability
In its accountability the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) stressed the investment in infrastructure that has been done in these 24 months of management, highlighting several, including Island Taboga and Paso Canoas, and also announcing new projects.
Gustavo Him, general manager of the ATP, referred especially to investment of 1.5 million dollars to improve Taboga Island and the start of the remodeling of the building of border of Paso Canoas.
He added Him that between the projections, it is planned to build a Museum of coffee, which will be located in the city of Boquete, province of Chiriquí, specifically in the Interpretation Center and tourist facilities of this city.
Stressed the inauguration of the new parador photography in the Cinta Costera and announced that by mid-July will open new ones in Chame, Boquete and the Amador Causeway.
Until May 2016, Panama joined about 125 thousand 808 Europeans stressed Him who said that the country continues to be a new tourist attraction for the European market. This figure is part of the 1 million 122 thousand 135 visitors that from January to May of this year, have entered Panama by sea, air and land.
The foregoing achieved that Panama deal the séptimolugar in a world ranking that evaluates the speed of increase in arrival of visitors to a country.
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Ex- First Lady rallies to support sex-ed bill
Posted on July 25, 2016 in Panama
Post Views: 62A FORMER FIRST LADY joined scores of people gathered in Concordia Plaza on Via España, on Monday, July 25, for a protest to support the controversial law that would require sexual education to be taught in schools.
Banners in hand, the participants argued that the country needs the controversial law to pass due to problems such as teen pregnancy.and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases..
The participants included former First Lady Vivian Fernández de Torrijos and Doctor Xavier Saez-Llorens, a prominent pediatrician and medical scientist among others reports La Prensa
“It will help the country,” said the former first lady.
Saez-Llorens said the law will have a positive impact on public health.
Recently, thousands of Catholics and Evangelicals, including school children called ou by their by their church leaders, paraded through the streets to successfully get the debate stalled and sent back to first reading.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/ex-first-lady-rallies-support-sex-education-bill
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Panama Papers – $30 million loan for client on the run
Posted on July 25, 2016 in Panama, World
Foreign funded mines often use slave and child laborPost Views: 121Offshore companies connected to 44 of Africa’s 54 countries appear in the Panama Papers leak, according to new research
More than 1,400 companies in the files of the offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca have names that indicate mining or resource extraction interests – raising fresh concerns about how tax havens can be used to exploit the natural wealth of the world’s poorest continent reports The Guardian.
The files contain at least 37 offshore companies with operations in Africa that have been named in legal proceedings or criticised by national or international agencies.
The new research was published on Monday (July 25) by African partners of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which coordinated the initial investigation into the offshore law firm’s leaked files.
Across Africa, 18 media organisations have published their findings – including the African Network of Centers for Investigative Reporting, The Namibian and Verdade in Mozambique.
The revelations include:
- Twelve of 17 companies named by Italian prosecutors as being connected to a middleman in an alleged bribery scheme surrounding an Algerian oil and gas deal appear in the files, including one company described as a “crossroads of illicit financial flows”.
- Mossack Fonseca allegedly helped process a $30m loan for a client in Nigeria despite press reports that he had been “on the run” over potentially criminal petroleum deals.
- At least 30 wildlife safari companiesin Africa are identified as being connected to offshore companies, mostly incorporated in the British Virgin Islands.
Mossack Fonseca told the ICIJ in response to the recent findings that it follows “both the letter and spirit of the law”.
It said: “We have not once in nearly 40 years of operation been charged with criminal wrongdoing. We’re proud of the work we do, notwithstanding recent and wilful attempts by some to mischaracterise it.”
The offshore industry has long protested against the charge that it facilitates the theft of Africa’s natural resources.
A report published in 2014 by a lobbying group for Jersey’s financial services sector argued that tax havens facilitated efficient investment in the developing world, a claim that has been echoed by a US group that lobbies in favour of tax havens.
But such claims have been contradicted by other research into illicit financial flows from Africa.According to a 2015 study commissioned by the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, more than $50bn a year is stolen from countries across the continent via fraud and tax avoidance.
Earlier this year an investigation into the leaked files of Mossack Fonseca by about 100 media organisations exposed the role in the offshore industry of facilitating tax avoidance and alleged crime.
The revelations prompted the former prime minister David Cameron to announce a new agreement between the UK and its network of crown dependencies and overseas territories that would allow law enforcement to access information about the true owner of an offshore company.
Further rules on the automatic exchange of beneficial ownership information were agreed at an international summit on anti-corruption in May.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/panama-papers-30-million-loan-client-run
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MEDIA WATCH: When top judge flaunts the law
Posted on July 24, 2016 in Panama
Ayu PradoPost Views: 74Hoyporhoy, July 24 La Prensa
IN FLAGRANT VIOLATION of Law 53 of 2015, that governs a judicial career in Panama, the Fourth General Affairs Division of the Supreme Court and the full Supreme Court selected and handpicked hundreds of judicial officials who will be responsible for implementing the adversarial criminal justice system in the principal judicial district of the country.
The reasoned excuse for not making public the interviews contests demanded by the Judicial Career Law is completely puerile: no money.
The president of the Supreme Court of Justice has never been interested in conducting such contests or other rules measuring the performance of judges and magistrates, who must pay homage under current rules.
The end result of this convenient omission is that more than 900 judicial officers appointed , not for talent and merit, but by the sinister Judge Jose Ayu Prado, who with this action has left an eternal and indelible mark on the judiciary. So great infamy cannot go unpunished organized civil society has made that call.
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/media-watch-top-judge-flaunts-law
The "Panama Papers" aka "Pandora Papers"
in Corruption, Fraud, and Scandals - Investigations / Prosecutions
Posted
http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/us-prosecutors-investigate-mossack-fonseca-staff