Friday
Friday 16th August 2024.
August 15, 2024
Within the framework of Operation Jericho, authorities reported that on Thursday, August 15, an operation was carried out at the residence of Abraham Rico Pineda , son of the deputy of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Raúl Pineda.
The residence of Rico Pineda, located in the exclusive sector of Albrook, Ancón district , was one of the objectives of the operation carried out by the authorities within the framework of the ongoing investigation.
Sources close to the case said that, in addition to the home, several companies linked to the PRD deputy’s son were also raided. However, despite the efforts made, the authorities confirmed that, so far, they have not been able to locate Rico Pineda.
As will be recalled, at least 25 people who are believed to be linked to a criminal group dedicated to national and international drug trafficking were arrested in the early hours of Thursday, August 15, during an operation carried out by agents of the National Police and the First Superior Prosecutor’s Office for Drugs.
This was part of Operation Jericho , carried out in the provinces of Panama, West Panama, Chiriquí, Los Santos and Darién, where Panamanians, Colombians and Mexicans were captured.
How did they operate? According to investigations, this network invested large sums of money to create companies. Through these companies they received and sent money. In addition, they received drugs from Colombia at specific points in the Guna Yala region, Panama and Darien.
He then sent the illegal merchandise through jungle trails and then transported it by land to the border with Costa Rica.
According to police, they have seized $2.6 million in property and $300 million in cash.
The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the arrest of these individuals is for the possible commission of the crimes of money laundering and conspiracy to commit drug-related crimes.
In the current context, Panama’s political and economic times are deeply intertwined with the future of the Canal . Decisions made on national issues, such as the reform of the pension system, will have a direct impact on the execution times of investments needed for key projects, such as the Rio Indio reservoir.
At the foot of the Miraflores locks, this Thursday, August 15, exactly when 110 years have passed, the Minister of Panama Canal Affairs, José Ramón Icaza, spoke about his vision on water projects to guarantee the supply of water, both for the operations of the Canal and for human consumption.
At a recent meeting with President José Raúl Mulino and Canal executives, the preservation of the watershed and the progress of the Indio River project were discussed. However, the implementation of this plan is conditioned by the need to first resolve other national problems, such as the crisis of the Social Security Fund.
Icaza stressed that the Canal has been working for years to conserve the watershed, which has expanded by 60%, from 343,000 to 551,000 hectares , following a court ruling last July that reestablished its boundaries.
In this context, the Indio River project is emerging as the main solution to increase water capacity, benefiting both the Canal’s operations and the water supply for 2.5 million Panamanians.
The minister noted that discussions with affected communities have already begun, and the national debate on the Indio River project is expected to take place in 2025, possibly in the second quarter of the year.
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , arrived on the afternoon of this Thursday, August 15, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to participate this Friday in the inauguration of Luis Abinader.
“I have arrived in the Dominican Republic to accompany @luisabinader in her swearing-in as president. We will continue to strengthen ties,” Mulino posted on his X account. This is the second official trip by the Panamanian president since he took office on July 1.
There is much anticipation for Mulino’s visit to the Dominican Republic, ahead of a meeting of regional leaders to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela following the elections held on July 28 in that South American country.
This Thursday morning, during his conversation with the media, the president reiterated that Panama will join any multilateral initiative to continue helping Venezuela in this situation.
“Within the established line of recognition of the victory of Edmundo González as president-elect of Venezuela,” said Mulino, who added that there is also the option of a political transition so that González Urrutía assumes the presidency.
“The meeting in the Dominican Republic will be interesting and we can discuss more issues together there,” said Mulino.
Panama has been one of the countries that has taken the initiative to support the victory of opposition leader González Urrutia in the presidential elections in Venezuela.
Panama, along with Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, are part of the Association for Democracy and Development, a regional forum that facilitates the coordination of policies and joint projects between these nations. “This forum allows the three countries to articulate common measures and a common international political agenda,” explained Mulino.
On Tuesday, August 6, Mulino called a meeting with 17 regional leaders to address the situation in the South American country. To this end, he instructed Foreign Minister Javier Martínez Acha to speak with his counterparts and extend an invitation to the leaders to hold this meeting in Panama.
Venezuela’s largest opposition group claims victory after receiving the results of the ballots, but the National Electoral Council has declared victory to Nicolás Maduro, but has not yet released the official results.
Members of organized civil society called on the authorities to recover “public funds that were diverted by malicious mechanisms for undue use,” which came from the economic aid program of the Institute for the Training and Utilization of Human Resources (Ifarhu) .
In a statement, the National Commission for Civic and Moral Values expressed its “deep dismay” at the recent “cases of corruption” in the management of this program.
He recalled that these aids, designed to reduce the economic and educational gap, have been “diverted from their original purpose”, negatively affecting the well-being of our society.
“We are particularly concerned that many of the beneficiaries of this financial assistance are young, hard-working and educated citizens,” he said.
According to the commission, these individuals, at the beginning of their social interactions, have adopted “wrong” behaviors, believing that the actions they carried out were correct or that they would have no consequences.
“It is clear that the recipients of these misallocated aids did not have, on their own, the power or the mechanisms to access these funds in an improper manner. This suggests the intervention of government cells with sufficient influence to facilitate these actions, seeking to gain favors for relatives or friends of the beneficiaries,” he added.
They call on all beneficiaries of these financial aids to reconsider. “We recognize that many of them have been victims of bad advice or guidance. It is crucial that they correct their course and are able to identify in the future what is right, clearly delineating the line between benefit and abuse,” the commission said.
In total, Ifarhu distributed $421.4 million in economic aid and other educational programs in the last 10 years, during the mandates of Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) and Laurentino Cortizo (2019-2024).
At his Thursday press conference, President José Raúl Mulino answered a question about the intervention of the rector of the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi), Etelvina Medianero de Bonagas, in the Budget Committee of the National Assembly.
The president said that “he should not be given one more penny than he already has and is squandering.” He advised him to “better shut his mouth,” and added that “every time he speaks, he opens the door to the biggest Public Ministry.”
The president continued speaking. “She and her thug, and her family and all the beneficiaries,” he added, have violated all the rules to get re-elected.
Mulino called Unachi the “ winter headquarters of the PRD .”
“Chiriquí deserves a better rector, a better university center than what we have at this moment,” the governor said.
On Wednesday, August 14, the rector of Unachi was forced to answer tough questions from the deputies of the Budget Commission about the juicy bonuses that university staff receive, the controversial calculations to calculate the seniority bonus, the poor budget execution and even cases of nepotism in the institution.
The President of the Republic even congratulated the Budget Committee.
Medianero de Bonagas even admitted that there are family clans at Unachi. There are 20 pairs of teachers appointed, who, in turn, also have husbands, wives, children, daughters-in-law working at the main state university in the province of Chiriquí.
When the deputy Jonathan Vega , from the independent Vamos party, who represents circuit 4-5 (Boquete, Dolega and Gualaca, Chiriquí), asked her about the matter, the rector gave the floor to one of the Unachi officials who accompanied her. This administrator confirmed that there are about 20 couples who are teachers.
Medianero de Bonagas went to the Budget Committee to request two transfers of funds: one for $600,500, while the other amounted to $259,706. He argued that it was to pay bonuses and seniority bonuses for administrative and teaching staff at the university.
However, after multiple challenges, 14 of the 15 deputies rejected his request, a historic decision in the National Assembly.