Friday
Friday 25th April 2025.
April 24, 2025
Once again, amnesty was a topic of discussion in the National Assembly’s Committee on Government, Justice, and Constitutional Affairs. This Thursday, April 24, draft bill No. 64, which establishes new provisions on amnesty, pardons, and sentence reductions, was rejected .
The draft bill had an intense period of support, where some deputies even suggested that it was related to the also discussed and rejected in the Commission, bill 235, which sought amnesty for those convicted and prosecuted in the New Business, Blue Apple and Odebrecht cases, something that would collaterally allow former presidents Ricardo Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela to opt for amnesty.
Representative Luis Eduardo Camacho , from the Realizando Metas party, proponent of the draft bill, stated that it had “nothing to do” with Article 235 or with Martinelli.
However, other members of the Commission argued that the redefinition of political crimes proposed in Article 2 of the document would open the door to later including some common crimes for which there are those convicted in the New Business case and those charged in the Odebrecht case.
“In my opinion, it’s an auxiliary law to the amnesty law [Bill 235]. I can’t accept it if it’s unconstitutional from the outset,” said Representative José Pérez Barboni of the Another Way Movement (Moca).
One of the points highlighted by Pérez-Barboni was the redefinition of the concept of political crime in Article 2.
On the other hand, Representative Francisco Brea, of the Panameñista Party, stated that he “believes the Assembly has the power to legislate” regarding granting amnesty, as suggested by Article 3 of the draft bill . However, he indicated that his affirmative vote on adoption would not guarantee a positive vote in the first debate. Nor would his condescension toward acts of corruption and those implicated in such crimes.
The same was done by MP Manuel Cheng, from the Vamos coalition, who turned to the philosopher Voltaire to justify his abstention from voting: “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” he said.
The arguments for and against led to a tight vote that ended with 3 votes in favor, 3 against, and 1 abstention, which represented the rejection of adoption.
Votes in favor: Luis Eduardo Camacho, from the Realizing Goals party, Luis Charris (substitute for Ariel Vallarino), from the Realizing Goals party, Francisco Brea, from the Panameñista Party.
Votes against: José Pérez Barboni, from the Another Way Movement, Roberto Zúñiga, from the Vamos coalition, Sandoya Barsallo (substitute for Crispiano Adames), of the Democratic Revolutionary Party.
Abstention: Manuel Cheng, from the Vamos coalition
The rector of the University of Panama (UP), Eduardo Flores Castro , responded to recent statements by President José Raúl Mulino, who accused him of allowing “all kinds of political trenches and political conspiracies” within the educational institution.
During an exclusive interview with La Prensa , Flores Castro expressed his concern about the president’s statements, which he described as a lack of appreciation for the main public institution of higher education .
From the very first minutes, the rector made it clear that his objections were not merely personal. “I regret the president’s statements,” he said, “because they reveal a lack of understanding of the historic role this university has played in the democratic life of Panama.”
With chronological precision, he reviewed some milestones that marked the role of the UP in history: the rejection of the Filós-Hines treaties in 1947, the flag-raising of 1958 and 1959, and January 9, 1964. “Even during the military dictatorship, the university was rebellious,” he stated. “And we continue to be.”
He also spoke about the institution’s technical and scientific contributions: the legal analysis of food, medicines, and cosmetics, ozone layer monitoring, seismic surveillance, and regional nuclear studies. “To say that all of this is reduced to 30 students on the street is to misunderstand what we do,” he lamented.
Flores also rejected accusations of institutionalized violence. “We don’t allow acts of violence on campus,” he said. “And when we detect someone—whether a student or not—we act immediately.” He even recounted that they recently captured a hooded, non-enrolled student who assaulted another person.
Regarding the alleged political use of university spaces—such as kiosks and photocopying machines—by student movements, he also issued a defense. “In eight and a half years as rector, I have not awarded any,” he clarified. He also took the opportunity to make a statement: “I have no intention of seeking reelection.” He explained that the spaces granted to student associations are regulated, rented, and audited.
He went a bit further: “The University of Panama does not discriminate against ideas,” he said, referring to the rental of auditoriums to organizations like the National Confederation of Independent Trade Union Unity (CONUSI), of which the Single Union of Construction Workers (Suntracs) is a member. “If they pay and comply, we rent to them. We do the same with evangelical or cultural groups. The university cannot be an ideological inquisition.”
The opening of a port on Margarita Island , a district of Cristóbal , Colón province , which has faced a series of obstacles ranging from non-compliance with its execution schedule, late payments, extensions and disputes between its partners, has been left without the support of its counterpart: the Panamanian State.
President José Raúl Mulino announced this Thursday, April 24, that his government will no longer “push” the project, which is currently being developed by two interlinked companies: Panama Colon Container Port Inc. (PCCP) and United Crown Construction Inc. The former is building a cargo terminal and the latter, an adjacent container yard on Margarita Island, in a prime location: the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal .
“The board of directors of the AMP [ Panama Maritime Authority ] is considering this. Decisions have already been made, and they will be announced in due course,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference from the Presidency of the Republic.
“I’ve been hearing about Margarita Island since the Endara administration. But no. Margarita Island, under my administration, doesn’t have the slightest chance as it’s structured. A new tender will be issued in due course, and the necessary decisions will be made to clear the table of all these obstacles,” he added.
The concession contract was originally agreed upon in May 2013, with a 20-year term. It involved filling 16 hectares of seabed, right next to the Manzanillo Bay breakwater and near the Colón Container Terminal in Coco Solo. Slightly further away are the Colón 2000 cruise terminal and the Cristóbal container port , operated by PPC .
In the first quarter of this year, the National Port System handled a total of 2.36 million TEU units (20-foot containers) , representing a 3% increase over the 2.29 million TEU units recorded in the same period in 2024.
According to the Panama Maritime Authority’s report, this growth reflects a sustained increase in commercial activity in the region and in Panama as a logistics hub .
Of the total TEUs moved, more than 1.3 million TEUs were moved via transshipment—that is, between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, or vice versa . Specifically, 556,369 were moved on the Pacific coast and 752,607 on the Atlantic coast . This represents an increase of 21,884 containers (1.7%) compared to the same period last year.
Nearly two tons of drugs were seized by authorities in two operations carried out by the National Police and the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) in the ports of Colón and San Carlos provinces.
The first seizure occurred inside a container in transit at one of the ports in the province of Colón. A total of 1,552 kilos of cocaine were detected, camouflaged in the cargo destined for Belgium.
According to investigations, the container had arrived at the port from El Salvador and was believed to have been contaminated with drugs in the yard where containers are stored before departure.
The second drug seizure occurred south of San Carlos, when a SENAN patrol boat spotted several packages floating in the sea and, upon inspection, found a total of 497 kilos of cocaine.
Authorities believe the drugs were thrown from a boat that, after noticing the presence of the Senan patrol boat, decided to abandon the cargo and flee.
The recovered drugs were transferred to one of the SENAN bases and placed under the control of the West Panama Drug Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation.
So far in 2025, authorities have seized approximately 38 tons of drugs, most of which were seized in containers transiting through Pacific and Atlantic ports. Other shipments have been seized on speedboats originating in the Pacific and usually traveling through Panama’s Pacific coast.
Authorities have stepped up surveillance in the coastal areas of Colón and Azuero, where a large quantity of narcotics destined for the United States and Europe has been seized.
The Minister of Social Development (Mides) , Beatriz Carles de Arango , appeared yesterday, Wednesday, before the National Assembly to explain the reasons behind the disengagement of some beneficiaries of the 120 to 65 cash transfer program .
Carles clarified that beneficiaries are excluded for specific reasons, such as having acquired pensions or retirement benefits , owning personal or real property , not having received benefits for three consecutive periods , being on probation, or residing outside the country . All of these conditions are established in the program’s regulations.
The minister emphasized that terminated citizens have the right to file an appeal for reconsideration, which will be evaluated individually. For this process, Mides has made a downloadable form available, and she noted that the program makes four payments per year, following an official schedule.
In addition, Carles reported that the socioeconomic database of beneficiaries is being updated as part of efforts to ensure the transparency and effectiveness of social programs. In this regard, provincial and regional liaisons are being trained in community education and support.
During her speech, the minister also revealed that, between 2021 and 2022, some 5,385 people applied to Mides social programs, but their technical records have not yet been issued. Likewise, more than 10,000 applicants were deemed ineligible, although they can also appeal through the reconsideration process.
Mides took the opportunity to debunk false information circulating on social media about the payment schedule, urging citizens to consult only official channels to avoid confusion.