Friday
Friday 18th October 2024.
October 17, 2024
Former President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, submitted a formal request to the board of directors of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) to assume his seat as a deputy in said regional body, as is his right after concluding his presidential term.
In a letter dated Monday, October 14, Cortizo recalled that, in accordance with Article 2 of the internal regulations of Parlacen and the provisions of the Constitutive Treaty, he has the right to assume a position in the Central American Parliament once his term as head of state has ended.
The letter was received by the board of directors on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
La Prensa consulted with Parlacen deputy Carlos Outten, who confirmed the information, although he described the swearing-in of the former president as “complicated,” since the selection of a new board of directors in Panama is currently in process.
“I find it difficult that he will be sworn in in October. Right now, that swearing-in is not a priority for Parlacen,” said Outten.
The Attorney General of the Nation, Javier Caraballo , spoke about different topics on the public agenda this Thursday, October 17: management before the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) to investigate former Vice President José Gabriel “Gaby” Carrizo ; the presence in Panama of the criminal groups Tren de Aragua and the Clan del Golfo; Operation Jericó and Congressman Raúl Pineda , and the progress in the cases being handled by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the parallel decentralization scandal , among other issues. The attorney confirmed that they did indeed receive a complaint related to Carrizo, vice president of the Republic until June 30. He was also the presidential candidate of the PRD in the elections of May 5.
Since the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) does not have jurisdiction to investigate members of Parlacen, it requested a certification to determine whether Carrizo was sworn in as a Central American parliamentarian. If he was, the file must be sent to the Supreme Court of Justice , which has the constitutional jurisdiction to prosecute deputies (principal and alternate) of Parlacen and the National Assembly. So far they have not given him an answer.
The complaint against Carrizo is related to the alleged use of the HP-20 aircraft owned by the Civil Aeronautics Authority (AAC) for personal trips. It was filed by lawyers Alejandro Pérez and Carlos Navarro , who request that the former official be investigated for the alleged commission of crimes against public administration, as they claim that the former vice president committed a series of irregularities in the management of state resources.
Caraballo added that his office has another complaint against Carrizo for different reasons, although he did not detail the content of the complaint.
Caraballo also referred to the presence of criminal groups in the country, such as the Clan del Golfo and the Tren de Aragua .
He noted that the Clan del Golfo has been active in the country for some years, while the Tren de Aragua is a more recent phenomenon.
Despite the threat posed by these groups, he added, security authorities and the prosecution service are on alert and continue to carry out operations to counter their influence, especially in crimes related to drug trafficking.
Regarding Operation Jericho and the repercussions on PRD deputy Raúl Pineda, he assured that the Drug Prosecutor’s Office is gathering additional evidence to comply with the requirements of the Supreme Court of Justice and to send the file to that court “again.”
In a ruling on July 11, with the report of Judge Olmedo Arrocha , the Supreme Court of Justice saved the PRD politician from being prosecuted for his ties to Operation Jericho. The reason? Arrocha considered that the information provided by the MP up to that point was insufficient.
Caraballo mentioned that there is an investigation related to decentralization in public management and added that the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is in the process of obtaining evidence to determine the existence of criminal liability.
He said he expects to receive more complaints. So far, the ones he has received are “generic” and no specific cases of mismanagement of funds by community councils or mayors have yet been identified.
During Laurentino Cortizo’s government, at least $320 million was distributed among communal councils and municipalities controlled by the PRD, a scandal known as parallel decentralization , which was uncovered following an investigation by La Prensa.
Jorge Churro Ruiz , who was head of the contracts administration office of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) in the government of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), turned himself in on the morning of Wednesday, October 16, to serve the prison sentence imposed on him for his participation in the Blue Apple case .
Ruiz had reached a plea agreement, validated by the then Second Judge of Liquidation of Criminal Cases, Baloisa Marquínez , on August 22, 2023, on the first day of the trial of politicians, contractors and former officials for money laundering, corruption and falsification of documents.
That same day, Judge Marquínez also validated an agreement in favor of María Antonia Lee , Ruiz’s wife.
On November 13, Marquínez issued a ruling in which he sentenced eight people to 60 to 168 months in prison, including former Ministers of Public Works Federico Suárez and Jaime Ford , as well as the former president of the board of directors of the Caja de Ahorros (CA), Riccardo Francolini .
Ruiz is also being prosecuted in five open cases for the contracts awarded by the MOP for road reorganization: Domingo Díaz, via Brasil 1 and 2, coastal strip and the so-called “historical heritage”.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance agreed to a $1 billion financing with the US bank JP Morgan Chase Bank, to partially finance the seasonal liquidity needs of resources from the current 2024 budget.
The resolution published in the Official Gazette on October 16 under number MEF-RES-2024-2847 indicates that the financing will have a final maturity of three years and is part of the authorization given by the Cabinet Council to the MEF to sign financing structures with different local and international entities for an accumulated amount of up to $3 billion.
Panama has agreed to this financing at a time when the Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman , has indicated that they are cleaning up public finances and will maintain a conservative policy regarding public debt, which is close to $52 billion, with a policy of cutting $1.387 billion. But at the same time with lower revenues. The contract in this case with JP Morgan for $1 billion, establishes an initial commission rate that Panama will have to pay, equivalent to 0.5% of the total amount of the commitments.
The National Police have arrested a minor allegedly involved in the death of Juan David García González, a young man who had been missing since October 5.
García González’s body was found in a state of decomposition on the night of Wednesday, October 16, in an abandoned building in Curundú. Authorities immediately began investigations.
The detained minor was seen in the area and, according to authorities, could be related to the death of García González.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that the minor will be brought before a judge for the formulation of charges and the application of precautionary measures.
According to preliminary investigations, the victim was last seen in the company of a young woman. García González, 16, had speech and hearing disabilities.
The Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMELCF) is carrying out an autopsy on the body to clarify the circumstances of his death.
The disappearance of García González triggered the Amber alert, a protocol designed for the rapid location of minors in cases of disappearance, abduction or kidnapping.
The Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported today, Thursday, October 17, that no patient, national or tourist, who imports their medications or cosmetics for personal use under the terms established in article 358 of Executive Decree 27 of May 10, 2024 , will lose them or have them confiscated.
In this regard, the Minsa noted that the intention of Communiqué 111/DNF/2024 of the Directorate of Pharmacy and Drugs , dated October 10, 2024, is to guide users who have had some medications or cosmetics retained by the National Customs Authority at the airport or who are requested authorization through courier/messenger services, on the documentation they must present for their recovery, since many of them expressed frustration at not knowing which authority to go to or what documents to present to reacquire their medications or cosmetics.
Read also: Medical prescriptions in hand: a key requirement for importing medicines
Therefore, the entity stressed that it has not implemented any additional requirements or procedures to those set forth in article 358 of Executive Decree 27 of May 10, 2024 , but, on the contrary, has tried to develop an easy-to-understand guide on the requirements contained in the regulation that must be presented to the National Directorate of Pharmacy and Drugs in order to recover medicines or cosmetics previously retained in other instances.
Article 358 of Executive Decree 27 of May 10, 2024 indicates that, in order to import cosmetics for personal use through courier or traveler services, the importer is obliged to:
- Submit a detailed invoice, air waybill, copy of ID or passport and a letter of release of responsibility from the health authority.
- Import up to six units per person with a volume not exceeding 500 ml per month; does not apply to cases with a content greater than that authorized.
- In the case of kits, the content must not exceed six products.
Regarding medications:
- For parenteral, biological, biotechnological and blood derivative medicines, cold chain maintenance is the responsibility of the importer.
- Present a medical prescription from a qualified professional.
- Submit the invoice, air waybill, copy of ID or passport and letter of release of responsibility from the health authority.
- The maximum amount should not exceed six months of treatment.
- In the case of travelers, they must also present the retention certificate.
During the press conference held this Thursday, October 17, the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , stated that the Minsa measure that dictated new regulations for the importation of cosmetics and medicines for personal use, through courier and messaging services, would be eliminated.
This measure was approved in May, during the previous government.
If people travel and bring medicines that they need to take every day, they should bring them and benefit from the good prices while we fix this problem here,” he said.