Jump to content

Recommended Posts

  • Moderators
Quote

No money for science while the Assembly wallows in funds

gorgassss.jpg

Posted 22/11/2022

In Panama, there is no money for science but there is money for the expenses of the National Assembly. Examples abound reports La Prensa.

The Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies which played a vital role in the covid-19 pandemic, every year, must beg for more budget to carry out their research projects. This year they were assigned $40.6 million and by 2023, will have less: $34.9 million.

On the other hand, the Legislature receives millions without any filter. For this year, the Ministry of Economy and Finance) assigned $143.9 million, but that figure fell short since until last October it had already increased that budget to $224.9 million. about $81 million more. Double the budget that the Gorgas has for this year.

According to a report prepared by the General Directorate of Administration and Finance, the modified budget of the Assembly is divided as follows: $202.1 million in operation, and $22.8 million in investments. That is, 89.8% has been allocated to payroll expenses, purchase of goods, service contracts, travel, food, and maintenance of structures.

The biggest change to the 2022 budget came between September and October when an increase of $24.3 million was recorded. Last October, when analyzing adjustments to the general state budget for the fiscal term of 2023, the Budget Commission approved a credit for $11.9 million to the Legislature.

On August 5, La Prensa asked the Assembly for the list of all transfers of items and additional credits that the Budget Commission has approved this year for the Legislature., no response has been received.

By 2023, the Assembly will start with $150 million, and, $138.3 will go exclusively to “personal services”, salaries of permanent personnel, and other payrolls.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/no-money-for-science-while-the-assembly-wallows-in-funds-1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • Replies 96
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Moderators
Quote

Transparency has “regressed alarmingly” under current administration - TI

Posted 17/12/2022

The Foundation for the Development of Citizen Liberty  The Panamanian Chapter of Transparency International - spoke on the controversial mining issue, to call attention to the National Government, in relation to the lack of transparency in the negotiation process with Minera Panama, as well as in the use and management of public funds in general.

"The case of Minera Panamá represents a clear example of a lack of transparency on the part of various administrations, including the current one."

They add that from the announcement made by the Executive in January 2022 on the agreement reached with the company that guaranteed a minimum payment of 375 million dollars per year, increasing the percentage in royalties, " little or nothing has been known until of yesterday ”, when the measures to suspend the commercial activities of Minera Panama were announced .

The lack of specific data prevents citizens from analyzing whether the Government is defending the best interests of the population, or if there are conflicts of interest or undue influence in the negotiation, says a press release released today.

The  remuneration that the Government accepted, as well as the concession of a monopoly for another 25 years, prevents Panama from taking full advantage of the existence of the Canal and its geographical position with the development of the port sector, as countries and maritime centers have done- world-leading port-logistics” , reads the note.

The foundation states that the legal obligation of transparency and access to public information has regressed alarmingly in this administration, being replaced by unprecedented silence, illegal refusals, and impunity.

Democracy, which these days is threatened in many parts of the world, requires the active and permanent defense of citizens, demanding accountability from institutions, officials and politicians. Transparency is the only tool that can restore confidence in government management and strengthen democratic institutions, they conclude.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/transparency-has-regressed-alarmingly-under-current-administration-ti

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • Moderators
Quote

Convicted embezzlers re-elected to office as justice lags

supreme-court-panama.jpg

Posted 08/01/2023

The delay of the Judicial Branch in cases in which local authorities have been sentenced for crimes against the public administration was questioned by sectors of civil society, after the representative of the township of Chilibre, the PRD Yoira Perea, who was sentenced to 60 months for embezzlement, was sworn in as president of the Municipal Council of Panama. She will be accompanied as vice president of the council by the representative of San Felipe, Mario Kennedy, convicted in 2012 for the crime of fraudulent embezzlement to the detriment of the township's Community Board.

Kennedy's process began with an audit by the Comptroller General of –remitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office in 2005–, which detected a possible patrimonial damage for $441,592, after the allegedly irregular handling of funds in the Communal Board of San Felipe between 1999 and 2003.

The case against Kennedy that began in 2005 was defined in August 2021, after the Criminal Chamber did not admit an appeal filed by his lawyer.

In the case of Perea, who took office as president of the Municipal Council on Tuesday, January 3, she is among a group of 30 people who were sentenced 14 years after the investigation began for the commission of a crime against the public administration with different forms of embezzlement, to the detriment of the Ministry of Education. After the investigation, it would have been verified the embezzlement and appropriation of money belonging to the Fund for Equity and Quality of Education (FECE), for the sum of $1,568,063.82 million.

For  Annette Planells, from the Independent Movement (Movin), the responsibility for this type of situation lies with the Judiciary."All criminal cases involving high-level officials and political candidates must have priority so that trials, appeals, and cassations are resolved quickly, preventing us from having criminal officials with access to millions of dollars from all Panamanians."

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/convicted-embezzlers-re-elected-to-office-as-justice-lags

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Moderators
blockquote class="ipsQuote" data-gramm="false" data-ipsquote="">
Quote

Court dismisses unjustified enrichment case against former minister

papa.jpg

Posted 19/01/2023

The First Settlement Court for Criminal Cases issued a definitive dismissal in favor of former presidency  minister Demetrio "Jimmy" Papadimitriu who was facing a complaint for the alleged unjustified enrichment through contracts related to the National Aid Program (PAN).

The court ruling, which was released ons Thursday, indicates that upon reviewing the evidence provided within the investigation by the prosecution, it was determined that the former official obtained income from known sources and the figure of unjustified enrichment was not given.

The complaint against former minister Papadimitru was filed by lawyer Sidney Sitton, arguing that the former official was the creator of the PAN and that said entity has been the subject of multiple criminal investigations for irregularities in the allocation of contracts.

The court accepted the recommendation made by the Descarga Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office that urged a definitive dismissal since an audit report from the Comptroller General did not provide evidence of the crime of unjustified enrichment.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/court-dismisses-unjustified-enrichment-case-against-former-minister

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

Torrijos bemoans current PRD leadership and the spread of corruption

torrijosj.jpeg

Martin Torrijos.

Posted 22/01/2023

Former President, Martin Torrijos a member of the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) has raised strong questions about the current leadership of the political group and the current situation in the country

In a statement,  to La Estrella, he indicated that "the Torrijistas should never have tolerated the crisis of the political, social, and economic system that we have been experiencing for some time in Panama. ”With our omissions and our actions we allowed the degradation of politics and the spread of corruption and clientelism that has done immense damage to the country and to Panamanian families."

He stressed that for years he has seen the spectacle of how leaders and rulers distance themselves from the needs of the people to satisfy their own ambitions and interests.

"Today there is a total divorce between the collective aspirations and the behavior of their leaders, to the extreme that the majority of Panamanians do not feel represented by the people who received their vote and therefore their trust.

"In this sense, it is "evident that democracy has been weakened, is kidnapped, restricted and in the PRD on the verge of disappearing."

He added that Panamanians are seeing the figures of the country's economic growth without feeling part of them; what they feel and see is how wealth is concentrated in a few and that money reaches them less each day.

"They feel that their needs are unsatisfied, poorly attended to, or are y postponed and ignored".

"It seems that we are not concerned that decency is moving away from political activity and that organized crime is becoming enthroned in all spheres of our society. How is it possible that seventeen years have passed since my administration reformed the law of the Social Security Fund without anyone since then have had the courage to undertake its update? How is it possible that if we were able to unite around the recovery and expansion of the canal and to design a project for the country through the National Concertation, we now have  division and fragmentation that prevents us from looking optimistically to the future and is rather leading us to regress?" He added that the parties are not only what their statutes say, but they also are the conduct of their leaders and their bases, and they are the role they play before the needs and aspirations of the citizens of an entire country. "Today there is a disconnect between those who lead the PRD and the members that make it up, and, even worse, between the leadership and the society that observes, values and judges it every day."

"It is time for us Toriijistas to stop looking the other way as if if everything was fine here. It is time to recognize our mistakes and correct them. It is time to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconciling the country, to build a society where there none are excluded, to resume the direction we have lost. It is time to recover Panama and expand the future of Panamanians".

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/torrijos-bemoans-current-prd-leadership-and-the-spread-of-corruption

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

The US will name others involved in corruption

american-ambassador-to-panama.jpg

Posted 26/01/2023

Following the naming of former president Ricardo Martinelli as corrupt,  the government of the United States indicated that other individuals involved in cases or actions of corruption in Panama will be named, although they did not specify exact dates of when they will do so.

The information was released in a statement from the United States Embassy in Panama, where they quoted Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte.

“ I know how concerned Panamanians are about corruption and fighting it is one of our priorities as an embassy because corruption undermines the well-being of the population, the economy, and democracy (…) This will not be our last naming in Panama .”

The statements were made in the middle of the statement through which the administration of President Joe Biden attacked former President Ricardo Martinell and affirmed:" that he is involved in acts of significant corruption ."  

The highest-ranking official in President  Joe Biden's administration also asserted that:  " Specifically, Martinelli accepted bribes in exchange for improperly awarding government contracts during his tenure as president. These section 7031(c) designations make Martinelli and members of his immediate family, ineligible to enter the United States ."

According to a statement from the  US Embassy in Panama, Blinken's decision  " is made pursuant to Section 7031 of the Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act of the Department of State of 2023, which establishes that Officials and former officials of foreign governments about whom the Secretary of State has credible information of direct or indirect involvement in acts of significant corruption or flagrant violations of human rights, are not eligible to enter the United States, nor are their immediate families. "

In rich – out richer
Ricardo Martinelli governed Panama between 2009 and 2014 in alliance with former president  Juan Carlos Varela (2014 - 2019)  He came to power through the  Cambio Democrático party (CD)  presented at that time as a vote of citizens fed up with traditional politicians (PRD)  and  Panameñismo who alternated power from 1989 when democracy returned to Panama after the fall of the military dictatorship.

Martinelli, a businessman linked mainly to the import business and owner of a large supermarket chain campaigned by questioning traditional politicians and made famous the phrase "People come in poor and come out millionaires”

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-us-will-name-others-involved-in-corruption

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

Panama needs vigorous fight against corruption – Transparency International

Posted 26/01/2023

The Libertad Ciudadana Foundation, the Panamanian chapter of Transparency International, affirmed that the naming of former President Ricardo Martinelli "for his participation in acts of significant corruption" is a clear consequence of the ethical degradation in which the country has fallen.

"The withdrawal of the visa to the former president and his family for acts of corruption is just a warning that our common home needs a vigorous fight on the part of all against corruption," a statement said.

On Wednesday, January 25, the US Department of State announced the measure, citing Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

At the same time, the United States ambassador to Panama, Maricarmen Aponte, announced in another statement that "this will not be our last designation in Panama."

The position of the US government was given hours after the arrival in Panama of the brothers Ricardo and Luis Martinelli Linares, sons of the former president, after serving a prison sentence in the United States, after confessing that they laundered up to $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht.

The reactions have not been long in coming reports La Prensa The former president of the Chamber of Commerce, José Ramón Icaza Clément, said that "those who, by corrupting themselves and corrupting the institutions from power, betray the people who trusted them."

“The new Panama cannot be built without honest management. The Martinelli case is the turning point of a dark past and a bright future”.

The president of the Panameñista Party, José Isabel Blandón, commented that the United States took this measure, but the Panamanian justice system has taken years to make decisions.

On Thursday, Martinelli on Twitter referred to the reunion with his children and said that he will defend his innocence.

“Thankful to God for allowing my family to be reunited. It was an emotionally charged moment. Now I am preparing to meet with my lawyers and advisers to evaluate the latest facts. I have always been clear; I will defend my innocence, my rights, and guarantees wherever it is”.

The former first lady, Marta de Martinelli, thanked the messages of support.

“I want to thank so many people who sent us messages of support and empathy. I love you so much! As a family we have gone through very sad and difficult moments, irreparable. I reproach people who wanted to take advantage of other people's pain. Grateful to God for his infinite mercy.”

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-needs-vigorous-fight-against-corruption-transparency-international

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Moderators
Quote

Transparency authority calls for firings and prosecutions

antai.jpg

Posted 09/02/2023

The Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Antai) reported on Wednesday, February 8, that it recommended the firing of three officials for breaches of ethics and that two other cases of embezzlement have sent  to the Public Ministry.

"After carrying out the pertinent investigations, jurisdiction was declined to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutors of the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation, in two processes for the alleged commission of crimes against the public administration in its modality of embezzlement and corruption of public servants of the Authority of Transit and Land Transportation and the Institute for the Training and Use of Human Resources," Antai reported in a statement.

The entity does not detail which cases these processes are related to.

On the other hand, Antai reported that the dismissal of three officials was recommended for violating the Uniform Code of Ethics for Public Servants.

It reports that these officials belong to the Panama Maritime Authority, the National Institute of Professional Training and Training for Human Development (Inadeh) and the Municipality of Chame.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/transparency-authority-calls-for-firings-and-prosecutions

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Moderators
Quote

Politicians acquire prime state land for pennies

pineda.jpg

Raul Pineda

Posted 02/03/2023

Deputy Raúl Pineda –the PRD's third undersecretary– has obtained dozens of hectares of state land in the current government, paying pennies for land located in privileged areas in Colón reports La Prensa.

Pineda joined the select group of politicians who have obtained national land by paying pittances, such as former minister Alma Cortés, who, for $534, acquired 88 hectares of land on the banks of the Mamoní River, in Las Margaritas de Chepo, or former minister Franklin Vergara, who titled 128 hectares for $774 in Chepo. Also, the ex-minister Demetrio Papadimitriu, who obtained with his family 54.3 free hectares titled in the name of 12 companies and two individuals – on the beaches of Juan Hombrón, or the deputy Yanibel Ábrego, who obtained 9.3 hectares in Cirí Grande, Capira, by paying $60 for them, that is, less than $6.50 per hectare.

And it's not just about getting large tracts of land for pennies. They also get them in privileged areas, as in the previous examples. In the case of Pineda, they are farms located a few meters from beaches or in the mountains, thanks to the generosity of the National Land Administration Authority (Anati).

In May 2021, President Cortizo announced the start of the Cadastral Sweep of Coasts and Mountains of Colón program with Anati to "put an end to decades of waiting for these areas to be legalized and have a property title." Three months later, authorities from the district of Santa Isabel, in Colón, and Anati signed an agreement.

On June 22, 132.5 hectares in a wooded area, close to the beaches of the Costa Arriba de Colón, went from being national to being the property of the deputy from San Miguelito. It is about three farms. One, 14 hectares, located a short distance from Playa Chiquita, a fishing community on the Costa Arriba de Colón. It is an area that, due to the beauty of its beaches: crystalline waters and white sands –ideal for snorkeling–, is sought after by nationals and foreigners).

Congressman Pineda now owns 104.7 hectares of land near the crystalline waters of Playa Chiquita and forests in Miramar, on the Costa Arriba de Colón

For this farm, Pineda paid $1,587, less than $115 per hectare. The farm was requested by the deputy in July 2015, but it was not until the PRD came to power that the Ministry of the Environment approved its use, in June 2021. Shortly after, in October of that year, Anati determined -in a second visual inspection on the ground - that "there was no opposition or complaint from third parties" to grant the farm.

The edicts to obtain the extensive farm were published in February 2022 But he had eyes on another farm, twice as big. On that occasion, he asked Anati to award him 27.8 hectares in Palenque, also in Santa Isabel, Colón.

The farm is located along the road, in Palenque, Nombre de Dios. This time Pineda paid $5,951, that is, $214 per hectare. Palenque is an area of tourist potential, thanks to its beaches with transparent turquoise waters. This place, inhabited by about 400 people, according to the 2010 census, is promoted as an ideal area for surfers.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/politicians-acquire-prime-state-land-for-pennies-1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Moderators
Quote

The odyssey  of tracking down convicted officials

Posted 11/03/2023

Knowing which officials elected by vote hold public office despite having prison sentences for the commission of a criminal offense is a true odyssey reports La Prensa.

The lawyer Ernesto Cedeño embarked on the project after learning that members of the Municipal Council of Panama are holding office despite having convictions on their files. He has sent notes to the Ministry of Government, the Supreme Court of Justice, the Comptroller General, and the Attorney General asking them to provide him with information on the matter, but so far he has not received what he requests. He has even had to resort to the Administration Attorney's Office, which monitors the conduct of officials.

The first request for information was addressed to the Comptroller, on December 5, 2022.

On January 5, the Comptroller's Office responded that, in general terms, the entity has no way of verifying whether any official who holds a position by popular election has been criminally convicted with a final sentence.

On January 10, Cedeño sent the Minister of Government, Roger Tejada, a note in which he requested the d list. On February 3, Tejada responded that, in accordance with the legal powers established by law, which dictates the organizational regime of that ministry, he has no jurisdiction to issue criteria or give any type of response on the matter consulted.

Also in January, Cedeño submitted similar requests to the Supreme Court and to the Attorney General, Javier Caraballo, but did not receive a response either.

Finally, he presented the same petition to the Administration Attorney, Rigoberto González. But this time, the receiver did something different: on March 7, he asked Caraballo to get him the information. Cedeño was no longer alone; now González also wanted to know. But he had no luck either because Caraballo did respond, but to say that the Judicial Branch has the information

Caraballo sent a note to Cedeño on March 8, in which he apologized because the note was misplaced and ended up in the hands of a different office than the one asked to give responses.

He points out that the Public Ministry does not have information regarding the subject within the total State payroll, which is made up of 255,440 registered officials as of August 2022. He tells him that if he provides the names of the elected officials who he would like to verify, it could be searched in the reports of sentences notified to the offices or dependencies of the institution since the database with final sentences rests in the Judicial Branch.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-odyssey-of-tracking-down-convicted-officials

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Moderators
Quote

US fingers Corruption  and lack of  judicial independence  in Panama

Posted 29/03/2023

The United States Department of State in its annual report on human rights in different countries of the world. has raised alarms over corruption and the lack of judicial independence in Panama and discrimination against LGBTQ people.

 Among the examples highlighted are severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, including threats to apply criminal libel laws to limit expression; serious government corruption; and discrimination against LGBTQ people including the non-recognition of marriage between same-sex couples.

Corruption was a recurring theme, noting how despite numerous reports, there were few investigations. And that the few investigations that were carried out extended over long periods of time and rarely ended in successful prosecutions.

“ The law contemplates criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and there are mechanisms to punish officials who commit human rights abuses, but the government did not take effective steps to identify, investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who committed rights abuses humans or who participated in acts of corruption ”, highlights the report.

They called the judicial system " easy to manipulate " and allowed defendants to delay prosecutions close to their statute of limitations.

Another issue pointed out in the report is that corruption is present in all organs of the Panamanian state apparatus. Corruption continued to be a serious problem in the executive, judicial, and legislative bodies, as well as in the security forces.

“ Two former presidents were prosecuted for money laundering and corruption. Former President Ricardo Martinelli and 16 other people were prosecuted as part of a money laundering case related to the purchase of Editora Panamá América, SA with public funds. Despite the fact that the investigations began in 2017, the first hearing did not take place until July, after multiple delays, ”they say in the distributed document.

Former presidents Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela, along with several former public officials, were also prosecuted in the bribery case against Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction company."

For the Joe Biden government, corruption and lack of transparency in the Panamanian security establishments are worrying,

On the issue of abuses by security forces, they pointed out the impunity of institutions that are only regulated by internal control mechanisms and where a culture of corruption prevails.

“ Corruption and the lack of accountability in the security forces continued. Public security groups did not have an impartial investigative body for internal investigations. The absence of clear standard operating procedures allowed discretion to the agents in each case. The lack of audits of operations resulted in gaps in terms of accountability and transparency, which contributed to the corruption problem, ”they say in the report, where they also recall that three directors of legal security affairs were dismissed accusations for a case of alleged arms trafficking.

CORRUPTION RATING
When it comes to corruption, Panama never fares well. The  Corruption Perception Index for the year 2022 left the country in a bad light. The Central American isthmus obtained a medium rating. Panama is located in position 101 of 180 with a rating of 36/100.

Since  Panama entered this measurement in 2012, its rating has not improved. There have been few efforts from the central government and the  Legislative Branch  to combat corruption

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/us-fingers-corruption-and-lack-of-judicial-independence-in-panama

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

The rush to NOT file transparency  declarations

assemblyj.jpeg

Posted 05/04/2023

April 5 marked the deadline for public servants to present their declaration of private assets but as of April 3, only 50% of the approximately 20,000 servers, including the highest and elected authorities and other officials, had completed the transparency process reports La Estrella.

The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Antai), which is the guarantor of the law requiring  Public servants to declare their private interests is working with inadequate budgets and has only $2.9 million and 69 people to review and verify the statements of 20,000 highest elected authorities which leave the door wide open for backsliders.

The institution suffered a cut of $3 million from the budget, of $6 million, that it had requested

Of the 71 deputies, 39 have presented their declaration of private interests. And less than half of their substitutes –31– had completed it. The recently approved Law 316 of conflicts of interest, obliges them to present it in the first 30 days after having assumed office and to renew it every year.

The mayors and corregimiento representatives are not in a better condition. Of  81 mayors 10 have delivered the document. So had 16 deputy mayors. Of the 701 representatives, 153 have done so. 26 alternate representatives complied with the procedure.52% –10– of the ministers have complied with the declaration of interests. 89% –17– of the vice ministers have also done so.

The 9 magistrates of the Supreme Court (CSJ) have complied with the presentation of their declaration of private interests. The regulation’s greatest imperfection lies in the fact that the declaration of interests of the "high-ranking" servants will not be public.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-rush-to-not-file-transparency-declarations

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

Former Canal boss condemns deputy’s land buy at under 1 cent a square meter

yanibel.jpg

Yanibel Abrego

Posted 11/04/2023

The former administrator of the Panama Canal (ACP), Jorge Luis Quijano reacted Tuesday, April 11 to reports that Deputy Yanibel Abrego had bought State land for less than one cent a square meter. 

“ What matters here is that the Canal had to pay almost 23 dollars per square meter and there is someone who is buying at less than one cent per square meter. And she is not the only deputy that I understand has bought at those prices. I understand that there is another deputy who on the Atlantic side bought two cents a square meter, ”said Quijano.

According to a publication, Ábrego acquired  18.4 titled hectares,  which are divided into two farms in Capira, specifically in the mountainous area of the township of Cirí Grande.

The state lands were delivered to the deputy on March 23, 2023, by the National Land Administration Authority (Anati),  for a value of 120 dollars.

He added that the lands that were purchased by Deputy Ábrego are not the property of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) since the areas of the entity are well-defined and the ACP has full control over those areas.

" On the one hand, the Canal that gave 2 thousand 500 million dollars to the State, has to take out 550 million dollars to buy land at 23 dollars per square meter, when the government wants to protect the water part, then let them give the Panama Canal a gift ”, said the former administrator

However, there are areas called compatibility, which are required to carry out any transaction, structure, or business, and which implies that the Board of Directors gives compatibility approval for these businesses to be carried out.

“ The responsibility to protect water sources is not only the ACP, in its patrimonial areas, but it is also the government ”, he warned.

It transpired that they were not the first state lands purchased by Ábrego, since in July 2012, she obtained 9.4 hectares of land located in the same corregimiento for an amount of 60 dollars, less than $6.50 dollars per hectare or thousandths of a cent per square meter.

The lands border Río Indio and Río Indio Street in Los Chorros de Jordanal, Capira.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/former-canal-boss-condemns-deputys-land-buy-at-under-1-cent-a-square-meter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • Moderators
Quote

The US declares former president Varela “corrupt”

download.jpg

Posted 13/07/2023

The Embassy of the United States announced on Thursday, July 13, the designation of former Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela as ineligible, in general, to enter the United States.

The diplomatic delegation distributed a statement from the State Department, in which it details the reasons for the designation of Varela as ineligible to enter US territory.

The statement recalled that this is a designation by the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

At the end of the statement, it is recalled that not only Varela entered that list, but also his immediate relatives.

Varela currently has an impediment to leave the country and must periodically report to a court because he is one of the suspects involved in a crime of money laundering, in the Odebrecht case.

Accepted Bribes 
 According to the US State Department, during his tenure as vice president and later as president of Panama, Varela "accepted bribes in exchange for improperly awarding government contracts."

"Corruption unfairly deprives the people of Panama of quality public services such as schools, hospitals, and highways, to the detriment of their economic prospects and their quality of life," the State Department statement said.

The statement added that if corruption is not addressed "it will continue to suppress Panama's prosperity, weaken its democracy and prevent the country from achieving its full potential."

In another point of the statement, the State Department indicated that they hope that the appointment of  Thursday, July 13, "urges the elected officials and the Panamanian authorities to combat corruption."

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-us-declares-former-president-varela-corrupt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

Ruben Blades hopes US will continue to finger corruption in Panama

blades.jpg

Posted 16/07/2023

The Panamanian singer-songwriter and activist Rubén Blades said  Saturday and his hope is that authorities from the US and other governments continue to denounce the "acts of corruption committed in Panama" and that the evidence be presented in a timely and public manner. Blades was commenting on the decision of the United States to designate Juan Carlos Varela Thursday for “significant corruption”, the second former president (2014-2019) who is prohibited from entering the country in a year, since it took the same decision regarding Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014).

Both ex-governors are among the thirty people who will be prosecuted in Panama for Odebrecht bribes, a case for which two of Martinelli's sons have already served jail time in the United States, and confessed there that they laundered $28 million and led to carried out bribes in favor of the Brazilian company "by orders of the father", as alleged by their defense.

 "Hopefully the announcements made by foreign authorities, from the United States and other governments, denouncing the acts of corruption that occurred in Panama, and identifying their executors," said Blades adding that he hopes that "the evidence of such acts will be presented in a timely manner by these authorities (complainants), in a public manner, to answer any questions from the public related to the veracity of the information provided."

"Now, for the first time in decades, it really seems that there is a will to confront and defeat the corrupt system and scheme that controls and impedes the true development of the promise that is still Panama, and the correct and honest use of its immense resources, natural and human," added the lawyer and political activist on his website.  InPanama, Varela, 59, reiterated on Thursday after the US announcement that he was an "honest" president, who managed more than 20,000 million dollars in works with "transparency", and that he will do "everything he has to do to defend" his honor and that of his family.

Mutual attacks 
In addition to being head of state, Varela was vice president and chancellor during the Martinelli administration, with whom he was an ally until 2011 when they distanced themselves amid mutual attacks.

Blades emphasized that the US declared Varela "corrupt" for "accepting bribes to carry out public works" when he was in his activity "as vice president" of Martinelli, but "does not clarify at what point in his five years" in that charge "the alleged bribery occurred, and it also does not specifically identify which of his acts as a public official was identified as corrupt.."Blades also opined that the accusation against Varela "creates a range of emotions" in Panama, including "thanks to the US authorities for helping to uphold the rule of law, by putting pressure on an inconsistent and nationally perceived corrupt Judicial body and force it to denounce, investigate, and prosecute corrupt public servants and their accomplices from the Panamanian private sector." But it also causes "the shame of recognizing that, had it not been for investigative activities carried out from abroad, it would not have been possible, by Panamanian initiative, to initiate and advance judicial cases against criminal activities, or illegal acts committed by alleged servants against the national economy and the interests of our population".

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/ruben-blades-hopes-us-will-continue-to-finger-corruption-in-panama-1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • Moderators

Business leaders ask Assembly to pause  transparency debate

Posted 27/08/2023

Panama’s Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture has called on the National Assembly to postpone the discussion of a bill that repeals a law, which dictates standards for transparency in public management.

In a statement, the business union said that in principle, it is not opposed to the law and making changes to it but maintains that limiting a discussion of this magnitude to a few, ignoring a wide and extensive citizen consultation, with an "inexplicable rush and the fact that we are in the middle of an electoral tournament gives rise to worry and reject any attempt to modify without first exhausting and abiding by all possible queries”.

"Although we are relieved by the decision of the National Assembly to extend the consultation period in a scenario that allows greater participation and access to the discussion, we believe that the current political-electoral situation creates detrimental conditions for modifying such an important law," it said.

According to the Cciap, it is an opportune moment for the different presidential candidates to establish a position and speak to the electorate clearly about their possible actions on this issue.

“In any case, we will remain vigilant if, on the contrary, the final intention of reforming it is to benefit live play, politicking, and opacity; which is totally contrary to the spirit with which this innovative law was promoted more than 20 years ago”, it highlighted.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/business-leaders-ask-assembly-to-pause-transparency-debate

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • Moderators
Quote

Gang of political thieves seeks shelter in the ‘Den’

Card image
 

 Posted 16/12/2023

Among the 92 candidates nominated for the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) for the 2024 general elections there are several people with pending cases in the courts of justice reports La Prensa.

If they manage to obtain a seat in the regional forum they will enjoy the same “privileges and immunities” awarded to deputies of the National Assembly  As candidates, they enjoy electoral criminal immunity.

Most Parlacen candidates with pending charges with justice were nominated by the party Realizing Goals (RM), founded by former president Ricardo Martinelli who has a sentence - not yet enforced - of 10 years in prison for money laundering in the New Business case. He is also called to trial, for the same crime, in the Odebrecht bribery case.

The fact that prosecuted people reach this regional forum has been the subject of controversy for years, to the point that Parlacen was called a “den of thieves Martinelli himself.

 On December 5, David Ochy was arrested, in Costa Rica. The businessman had been declared in default by the Second Liquidation Court for Criminal Cases, due to his involvement in the New Business case. His brother Daniel was already sentenced in this process to 96 months in prison.

Martinelli and Daniel Ochy were tried for the New Business case last May. On that occasion, David Ochy was not prosecuted because he enjoyed criminal electoral immunity, since he was participating as a presidential candidate in the RM primaries.

RM also opted for the brothers Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares sons of former president Martinelli. Both, convicted and imprisoned in New York, , for conspiracy to launder $28 million from Odebrecht, were nominated as substitutes for Carlos Outten and Giselle Burillo, respectively. They are the first on the RM Parlacen list.

The Martinelli Linares brothers are already members of Parlacen, since last August, when they were sworn in as substitutes. In this way they avoided the trial of the Blue Apple case, in which they are also being investigated. His case is now in the hands of the Supreme Court, but the current status of this case is unknown.

Another of the RM figures questioned for his intention to reach Parlacen is Jaime Ford Castro, former Minister of Public Works, nominated as deputy major. Ford will also be prosecuted for Odebrecht bribery. The trial was postponed until July 2024.

Meanwhile, last August, the discharge anti-corruption prosecutor, Ariel De Gracia, requested to declare guilty the former Minister of Labor and Labor Development, Alma Cortéscurrent undersecretary of the RM party, and two other people, for the crime of “unjustified enrichment.”

Cortés, who is a candidate for substitute deputy for José Ramos, also faces a process for embezzlement, due to the collection of travel expenses to attend a series of meetings of the International Labor Organization (ILO), in Geneva, for an amount of $49,000.

The former president Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019), who was also called to trial for the Odebrecht case, leads the party list Panameñista to Parlacen.

Among the Parlacen list of candidates for free nomination, Mayte Pellegrini appears. The lawyer was nominated by the PRD deputy and presidential candidate Zulay Rodríguez, as a substitute deputy.

Pellegrini is one of nine people called to trial in the Financial Pacific case.

 

 

The alternate representative of Cambio Democrático (CD), Kristelle Getzler de Lima, wife of Former Minister of Economy and Finance, Frank De Lima, has been requested by the Blue Apple case, but since she is a Central American parliamentarian, she must be prosecuted by the Supreme Court and not by an ordinary court.

In a hearing held on November 16, Judge María Eugenia López Arias (as prosecutor) requested a five-year prison sentence for Getzler for  money laundering.

 

In the Blue Apple case, there are already eight people convicted including the former Ministers of Public Works, Federico Suárez and Jaime Ford Castro, and the merchant Riccardo Francolini, former president of the board of directors of the Savings Bank and member of the  inner circle zero of Martinelli. held.

Meanwhile, the plenary session of the Supreme Court issued a provisional dismissal in favor of the parliamentarian Giselle Burillo, within an investigation for  embezzlement, through the division of several contracts of the Micro Authority, Small and Medium Enterprises (Ampyme), for $21.6 million. Burillo was director of Ampyme in the Martinelli government.

The investigation began on December 13, 2014. The ruling indicated that despite there being a breach ofpublic procurement law there is no evidence of an impact on the state's economic assets or any action. of appropriation, subtraction, or embezzlement that typifies the crime of embezzlement.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gang-of-political-thieves-seeks-shelter-in-the-den

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Moderators
Quote

No corrupt in power if people were as mad about corruption as mining

plannells.jpg

Posted 06/01/2024

If Panama were as angry about corruption as it is about mining, there would be no corrupt people in power said Annette, Planells president of the La Prensa Corporation (Corprensa), in an interview, with EFE  on January 4.

In Panama, “Are we going to be outraged by the corruption cases the way we were outraged by the mine? Because if we did that, there wouldn't be a single corrupt politician in power here.” said Planells.

In the end, this engineer reflects, “Politicians do what citizens allow them to do.” Proof of this, he says, are the massive protests last October against the questioned operation of an open-pit copper mine, the largest in Central America, which ended up being disabled by a ruling by the Supreme Court that, for the second time declared the concession contract unconstitutional.

Planells, who last December received the International Award for Anti-Corruption Activists in 2023 from the US Department of State, is clear that corruption “is rooted” in Panama, and that it is urgent to “change the culture” about what, as a society, is allowed or not.

In Panama, “significant efforts” have been made in the fight against corruption, although setbacks have also been recorded during the Government of Laurentino Cortizo, says Planells.

TRANSPARENCY SETBACKS
“In transparency, there have been abysmal setbacks,” she says, citing the obstacles to the publication of state payrolls, “the cases of corruption that have come especially from the National Assembly (and that have not been able to be investigated or prosecuted (. ..) and those of the Executive Body” with the alleged irregular distribution of public funds among coreligionists. All of these complaints have been rejected by those involved.

On the other hand, “an important advance” in the anti-corruption fight has been the appointment by Cortizo to the Supreme Court of “magistrates, mostly women, with an impeccable track record,” as well as the implementation of the Judicial Career and “the advancement of some emblematic cases of corruption.”

“ Panamanian society is now at a crossroads” and runs the “danger that all these efforts will disappear with the possibility that (former president) Ricardo Martinelli wins the May 2024 elections. ″

Martinelli, presidential candidate of his new party Realizing Goals (RM), was found guilty of money laundering in the purchase of a media publishing house and sentenced last July to 10 years and 6 months in prison, a ruling that was already ratified in the second instance. and which is pending whether or not it will be analyzed in cassation by the Supreme Court, the last instance in which it can be annulled, as the former ruler intends to be able to continue in the electoral race.

Martinelli and former Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) were sanctioned in 2023 for “large-scale” or “significant” corruption by the US State Department.

“If we were outraged at the abuses of former presidents in the way we were outraged at the mining contract, Ricardo Martinelli would not even be scoring in the polls,” Planells claims.

The “problem” of giving “some endorsement” to corruption “has to do with the enormous inequality that exists in the country: if a person cannot cover their fundamental needs (…) how can you ask them to put the fight against corruption as a priority in his life?”

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/no-corrupt-in-power-if-people-were-as-mad-about-corruption-as-mining

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

Former Health Minister refused to sanction  escape flight for Martinelli brothers

rosario.jpg

 Posted 08/01/2024

The former Minister of Health Rosario said on Monday, January 8, that her departure from government in 2020 occurred for several reasons, among them, because she refused to sign the humanitarian flight in favor of the brothers Ricardo and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, fined the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) and did not endorse the efforts of the Ministry of the Presidency regarding the purchase of medicines.

The Martinelli Linares brothers, before being detained in Guatemala on July 6, 2020, arranged with the Civil Aeronautics Authority a private flight to which they had given “humanitarian” status, using the plane with registration number N799RM owned by the family.

"I received a request for a humanitarian trip from the Martinelli brothers, which I had my doubts about, I asked for more information from different State entities, but I did not receive them, therefore, I did not sign it," Turner confessed, three years after her departed from the Government and currently the candidate for vice president of former president Martín Torrijos, for the Popular Party.

Pn June 24, 2020, without further official explanations, President, Cortizo, announced Turner's departure, alleging "wear and tear" on the part of the official, although the media indicated that the departure had had to do with the escape plan the Martinelli Linares brothers. She was replaced by the current Health Minister Luis Francisco Sucre.

The former minister in an interview on TVN also pointed out that another aspect of her departure had to do with the $50,000 fine that the Ministry of Health imposed on the PRD for failing to comply with the health measures implemented by the ministry.

While all Panamanians were confined to their homes, PRD deputies met in a local restaurant, without masks and violating all health measures due to Covid-19.

“A series of scenarios occurred that were very complex. On the one hand, we had authorized an event for the deputies and they did not comply with the instructions to be able to carry it out and I fined the Democratic Revolutionary Party $50,000. Immediately the president of the party, Benicio Robinson, asked the Board of Directors to expel me from the party.” Turner said.

At the time, the PRD made public the proof of check, receipt, and payment to the National Treasury, clarifying that it was made with funds collected from private donations, not from electoral subsidies since the law does not allow it.

He added that, on the other hand, the issue of purchasing medicine and supplies was temporarily passed to a commission in the Presidency That commission had some technicians who had to consult us and they practically did not do so and they made decisions and then all those procedures returned to the ministry.

“I made the decision to create a commission to evaluate this management process and preliminarily I can tell you that I did not comply with most of the procedures, that is why I did not sign it. “I would never agree to do something that would be against my values and integrity.”

She added that she did not want to talk about the subject at the time because it was so difficult for her to think that “while professionals and myself were concerned about saving lives, there were people who were thinking about other ways to gain privileges and do things that are not within their reach.” the interests of what transparency should be.”

In the interview she responded that her dismissal as Minister of Health was surely a burden, but that it was the best thing that happened to her.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/former-health-minister-refused-to-sanction-escape-flight-for-martinelli-brothers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • Moderators
Quote

Panama slides in  Corruption Perceptions Index

corruption.jpg

Posted 30/01/2024

Panama is level with Sierra Leone and at one of its lowest points in the  Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International (TI), released Tuesday, January 30, 2024, in Berlin. 

In the perception index (in which “0” is the opaquest score and “100” is the most transparent), Panama obtained 35 points, dropping one point from its previous rating (in 2022) and now occupies position 108 in a list of 180 countries evaluated.

“The lack of judicial independence undermines the rule of law, encourages corruption, and leads to impunity for the corrupt and the powerful. Given that the average score for the region remains at 43 and that two-thirds of countries are below 50, it is imperative to address this issue to effectively fight corruption,” the report states.

In the perception index (in which “0” is the opaquest score and “100” is the most transparent), Panama obtained 35 points, dropping one point from its previous rating.

Panama returns to the same score it had in 2013 and 2020. Its best rating so far has been 39, which it obtained in the 2015 index.

BEST RATED
The best positioned in the 2023 ranking are Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand, with 90, 87 and 85 points, respectively. The three worst in the world are Somalia (11 points) Venezuela and Syria, both tied with 13 points.

At the regional level, the best qualified are Canada (76 points), Uruguay (73), and the United States and Barbados, tied with 69 points. The worst is Venezuela, followed by Haiti and Nicaragua, both with 13 points.

“The lack of judicial independence undermines the rule of law, encourages corruption, and leads to impunity for the corrupt and the powerful. Given that the average score for the region remains at 43 and that two-thirds of countries are below 50, it is imperative to address this issue to effectively fight corruption,” the report states.

Panama returns to the same score it had in 2013 and 2020. Its best rating so far has been 39, which it obtained in the 2015 index.

Panama is the same as Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and Thailand, which also received 35 points.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-slides-in-corruption-perceptions-index

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

Jailing of  Martinelli  a message to the political and economic class

justice.jpg

Posted 02/02/2024

The decision of Panama’s  Supreme Court (CSJ) not to accept the appeal in favor of former President Ricardo Martinelli is considered a message that justice is sending to the country's political and economic class.

Olga de Obaldía, executive director of the Foundation for the Development of Citizen Freedom,  the Panama chapter of Transparency International, said the main thing in all this is that as a country we manage to end impunity, since from there we will walk to avoid acts of corruption.

Rómulo Roux, presidential candidate of the alliance made up of the Democratic Change (CD) and Panameñista parties, maintained that this is a final and definitive decision, which must be respected and enforced.

“We continue working and focused on what corresponds to us to achieve the change that Panama needs, regardless of what happens in other campaigns,” Roux noted.

 Ricardo Lombana, the presidential candidate of the Otro Camino Movement (Moca), considered that the Judicial Body “once again stands on the right side of history and finishes condemning one of the biggest corrupt people the country has ever had, from politics. ”.

“The pressure that the people are putting, which is based on the boredom that exists towards a corrupt political system, is being listened to by the authorities, in this case, the Court.”

The candidate for free nomination, Melitón Arrocha, stated that it was demonstrated that no one is above the law.

Martín Torrijos, nominated for the Presidency by the Popular Party, warned that the course of his campaign does not depend on the “luck” of other candidates, but acknowledged that what happened Friday has “repercussions on the electoral offer of the elections.”

The PRD representative, Zulay Rodríguez, is the only presidential candidate (by free nomination) who showed regret for the Court's decision

“Once again, the interference of the Cortizo and Carrizo government in judicial decisions has been demonstrated. “she wrote on the social network X.

 Maribel Gordón, the presidential candidate through free nomination, pointed out that this process has been delayed and that late justice is not justice.

The former magistrate of the Electoral Court, Guillermo Márquez Amado, stressed that, with the decision of the Criminal Chamber, Martinelli cannot run for president of the Republic.

He believes that it must be recognized that the Court has had the “pants” to decide that and that it was not adopted after the May 2024 elections. “Justice is on the way to strengthening,” he said.

The former attorney general and former deputy, Ana Matilde Gómez, indicated that justice will be done at a good time.

“The first message is that justice is ready to resist the attacks of political and economic power.”

The former deputy and former candidate for the presidency of the Republic, Balbina Herrera, said that what happened is a message for the entire political class.

“You can play once or twice so that justice doesn't catch up with you, but in the end, it will.”

Herrera is one of the victims of the unauthorized interceptions that were carried out by the National Security Council (CSN) in the last two years of the Martinelli government In the puncture case, Martinelli was acquitted, but two directors of the CSN were sentenced to 60 months in prison.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/jailing-of-martinelli-a-message-to-the-political-and-economic-class

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
Quote

Government Whistleblower moved aside

stoute.jpg

Luis Carlos Stoute.

Posted 05/02/2024

Luis Carlos Stoute, until yesterday deputy administrator of the National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG), has been separated from his position so the “Public Ministry (MP) can carry out investigations” into the complaints of alleged irregularities presented by Stoute, in December 2023 says a government bulletin.

Stoute alleged mismanagement, of the platform that manages the digital voucher, a social program created in the covid-19 pandemic.

The reported events would have occurred when Luis Oliva was at the head of the AIG, who today aspires to be elected deputy in the 2024 elections, nominated by the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party. The events were reported in several investigative articles in   La Prensa.

The complaint revolves around a digital platform known as “Listo”, used for the administration of the Digital Voucher, whose development was initiated by the AIG and which would now be in the hands of the private company Fintek, SA, which charges the digital voucher providers.  for its use. It also manages a “factoring” program,  for which it also charges a commission.

Last December, the Attorney General's Office announced the initiation of an investigation into the alleged commission of a crime against the public administration to the detriment of the AIG, the same day that the complaint was presented by Stoute.

A month ago,  personnel from the Superior Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office carried out a visual inspection at the  AIG headquarters. Prosecutor Anilú Batista reviewed the entity's platform, together with experts from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Batista also detailed that the digital information corresponding to the platform used for the payment of the digital voucher was being located, a mechanism implemented by the government to provide support to workers laid off or with suspended contracts, as a consequence of the cessation of economic activities as a result of the pandemic.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/government-whistleblower-moved-aside

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...