Lawmaker refutes links to organized crime

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Lawmaker refutes links to organized crime

Elias Vigil. .

Posted 22/01/2022

Elías Vigil, a deputy from the opposition Panameñista Party, denied in the National Assembly that he has links to organized crime and money laundering.

On Thursday, the politician assured that "again" his name appears in the media, associating him with "drug trafficking and organized crime" and that for him "is worrying".

He also related the event to the political campaign of his party, a group that will renew its authorities on February 20.  

He also said that in the 2019 electoral contest, he presented the list of people who supported him in his campaign, before the Electoral Court (TE) .

He stated that also in 2019 and during the presidency of Juan Carlos Varela, he had "an investigation", but did not provide more details. He added that Varela wanted another person to be seated in the seat that he occupies today in the Assembly.

“We have to put a point to the media. This cannot continue," he said.

The deputy did not say anything about the case of his sister Teresina, who is in custody while being investigated for the alleged commission of crimes involving organized crime.

Teresina Vigil is the wife of Carlos Roberto Aguilar, alias Robert, leader of the Humildad y Purza (HP) gang, which operated in eastern Panama, and whose activities were exposed with the Damasco operation, carried out by the Crime Prosecutor's Office. Organized and the National Police.

In 2019, an investigation by La Prensa revealed that alias Robert would have financed the campaign of today's deputy Vigil.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/lawmaker-refutes-links-to-organized-crime

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Lawmaker’s challenge to Attorney General rebuked

Posted 10/02/2022

A challenge delivered to the  Attorney General from the floor of the National Assembly by Panameñista lawmaker Vigil Perez got a fast and sharp response.

"I challenge both the prosecutor [Javier Caraballo] and the prosecutor [Emeldo Márquez] who is handling the case and the judge who determined my sister's precautionary measure. I challenge them from this seat, I challenge the prosecutor of the Republic of Panama to present a single piece of evidence against my sister in order to have her as she is today,” said Vigil.

The challenge was launched during the period of incidences of the National Assembly on Wednesday, February 9. The deputy of the 8-10 circuit also accused the media of not giving him a reply because of "certain slanders that the Vigil Pérez family is suffering."

The reply 
The Attorney General's Office said in a statement  Thursday, that it regretted the accusations made by Vigil, against the Public Ministry and the administration of justice.

"In a democratic State of law, in all cases submitted to ordinary justice, the only natural forum for discussing the facts and presenting arguments and evidence related to a criminal proceeding, is constituted by the Courts of Justice," said the Attorney General's Office.

Teresina Vigil, sister of the Panameñista deputy Vigil, was returned to a cell on February 7, after the Superior Court of Appeals revoked the house arrest measure that had been imposed on her.

Vigil is being investigated by the Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime for allegedly belonging to the criminal group HP (Humility and Purity), led by Carlos Roberto Aguilar, alias Robert, dismantled at the end of last November as by “Operation Damascus “.

The Attorney General's Office reported that all the arrests arranged have been subjected to the corresponding judicial controls before the guarantee judges.

He added that, in all cases, the administration of justice has ensured respect for the rights and guarantees of the fundamental rights of the persons arrested, including the right to defense.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/lawmakers-challenge-to-attorney-general-rebuked