Friday
Friday 13th May 2022.
May 13, 2022
For the third consecutive day, Panama registered at least 3,000 new infections of covid-19 , confirmed this Thursday the Ministry of Health (Minsa), which highlighted that no deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. To date, 16,230 new tests were applied and 3,514 new cases of coronavirus were detected for an effectiveness of 21.7%. Panama has not exceeded the figure of 3,000 infections per day since February 9, 2022, when 3,028 cases were registered. This week, the Minsa reported 3,307 infections on Tuesday, May 10, 3,324 on Wednesday, and 3,514 on Thursday. No deaths were reported for this Thursday and since the pandemic arrived in the country, in March 2020, 8,199 deaths have been recorded for a lethality of 1.0%. Active cases total 21,413, of which 21,228 are in home isolation and 185 hospitalized. Those in isolation are divided into 21,182 at home and 46 in the so called hospital hotels. Those hospitalized are 164 in the wards and 21 in intensive care.
At 4:25 pm the meeting began between the leaders of the United for Colon Coalition and President Laurentino Cortizo at the Abel Bravo school. The meeting is being held in the presence of the media, despite the fact that at first Cortizo requested that it be held behind closed doors. Present together with Cortizo are the Comptroller General of the Nation, Gerardo Solís, and the Ministers of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre; of Security, Juan Pino, and of Public Works, Rafael Sabonge. In the morning, the Colonense leader Edgardo Voitier reported this Thursday, May 12, 2022, in an assembly held in the Cuatro Altos, that they would only meet with Cortizo in a session open to the public and with the presence of the media.
The National Directorate of Electoral Organization, of the Electoral Court (TE) , will ask the plenary session of the TE (made up of the three magistrates) to suspend the validity of the criminal and labor electoral jurisdiction that the members of Realizing Means (RM) have, a party that recently held internal elections. The measure reaches, among others, the former president of the Republic, Ricardo Martinelli, who serves as president of that political group. The National Directorate of Electoral Organization made this decision after arguing that “the validity of the electoral jurisdiction should have ceased once the last proclamation of the event had been executed, as provided in article No. 360 of the Electoral Code .” In a resolution of last March 22, the TE magistrates, Heriberto Araúz, and Alfredo Juncá, decided to maintain Martinelli’s criminal electoral jurisdiction, and therefore, for the time being, he cannot be prosecuted for the New Business and Odebrecht cases . The third judge to liquidate criminal cases, Baloisa Marquínez, at the end of last January, was forced to suspend the preliminary hearing of the New Business case precisely because Martinelli invoked the jurisdiction. For this reason, the judge asked the TE to withdraw that legal protection, but she found the refusal of the magistrates Araúz and Juncá.
The skeletal remains of a woman whose whereabouts were unknown were located this Thursday in a wooded area of the Caimitillo corregimiento. The victim has been identified by the name of Yaris Jiménez Carrasco , 30 years old, who was reported missing by her relatives last month. In this case, it should be remembered that on Wednesday in the afternoon, Marichely Ruiz , 38, turned herself in to the authorities and confessed to having murdered her sentimental partner.
The judge of guarantees of Chiriquí, Erick Polanco, charged for the alleged commission of the crimes of deprivation of liberty and aggravated robbery against 48-year-old José Atencio, acts that would have been committed to the detriment of the young woman from Bocatoreña, Anabel Valdivia, whose whereabouts so far are unknown. Judge Polanco thus agreed to the request made by the Homicide and Femicide Prosecutor, Hernán de Jesús Mora, in a hearing held this Thursday, May 12, 2022. Meanwhile, the prosecutor explained that among the evidence presented, it was suggested that the detainee had a telephone conversation with the missing woman to make a work appointment that Sunday, August 8, 2021.
The Court of Honor and Discipline of Cambio Democrático (CD) admitted this week the evidence presented by the party’s Prosecutor against 15 dissident deputies. In addition, he denied the evidence presented by the prosecuted deputies. For today, May 13, the Court plans to meet to set the hearing dates for the deputies. On November 22, Raúl Andrade, CD prosecutor, filed a legal appeal for the expulsion and revocation of mandate against 15 deputies, who oppose the management of Rómulo Roux , CD president.
Agents of the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) intercepted a ship with Colombian registration, whose crew members were allegedly illegally fishing for shark fins in the vicinity of the island of Coiba, in the Panamanian Pacific. Jorge Martínez, head of the Panama Naval Air Operations Center, reported that an alert was received for the presence of the ship called Santa Bárbara II. He added that they proceeded to request support from the Colombian and United States authorities for an aerial patrol, since the ship was somewhat far from the Panamanian coast. The vessel was located 109 miles from the island of Coiba. “This ship did not request permission to enter Panamanian territorial waters,” said Martínez, who added that the corresponding procedures are being carried out to apprehend the ship and its crew and take them to the competent authorities.