Friday
Friday 26th January 2024.
January 25, 2024
The pro-government deputy Raúl Pineda , president of the Commission on Credentials, Regulations, Parliamentary Ethics and Judicial Affairs of the National Assembly , announced that he has received “ pressure ” from fellow deputy Zulay Rodríguez and telephone calls from former president Ricardo Martinelli to initiate investigations against the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, María Eugenia López Arias .
In Court, there are currently two appeals that could change Martinelli’s fate. This is a warning of unconstitutionality against an article of the Judicial Code and an appeal against the sentence (issued by a criminal judge and ratified by a Superior Court) of 128 months in prison and a fine of $19.2 million for money laundering, in the so-called New Business case .
This is what Pineda said in an interview with La Prensa .
The Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama (Imhpa) issued this Thursday at noon a surveillance notice for the provinces of Panama and Panama Oeste due to the emanation of toxic smoke, as a result of the fire in the Cerro Patacón landfill, which has been in existence for a week. .
The warning extends until midnight on Sunday, January 28 and the areas that are under warning are the districts of Panama and San Miguelito (Panama). Arraiján (Western Panama), Gulf and Bay of Panama.
This Wednesday, January 24, on the Panama Compra portal, the call for an online listing act appeared, to contract for three years the operation, stabilization and “new trench” services in Cerro Patacón, town of Ancón.
The public event is for $46.8 million.
Although the public event was announced in Panama Compra this January 24, offers have been received since this Thursday. The last day to submit proposals is February 7.
In this way, the concession would be awarded in the government of Laurentino Cortizo , which ends on July 1.
According to the terms of reference, the objective of the contract falls on the operation of the sanitary landfill, which has an area of 162 hectares, for a period of 36 months, providing the management and final disposal service of the waste received daily and those already arranged on Cerro Patacón.
The amount was segmented into three parts: for the landfill operation, the AAUD will pay $37.8 million; for stabilizing the site, $4 million, and for installing a “new trench,” $5 million.
The document says that the current rate of $14 per heavy ton should be taken as a reference. This payment will be monthly upon presentation of an invoice and acceptance certificate to the satisfaction of the work performed.
This medium tried to obtain the version from the director of the AAUD, Rafael Prado , but there was no response. Currently, a fire that started last Thursday is reported at this waste disposal center.
A guarantee judge found no impact on the human rights of Kenneth Darlington , the man detained since November 7 for fatally shooting two people who were participating in a road closure in Chame , against the contract between the Panamanian State and Minera Panama. .
In a hearing held this Wednesday, January 24, at the offices of the Accusatory Criminal System (SPA) of Panama Oeste , the allegation presented by Darlington’s defense regarding violations of his human rights was dismissed because he had supposedly not received medical care.
Darlington, currently detained in section E of La Nueva Joya, claimed that no one had cared about his health problems, but the records presented to the court by the Public Ministry reflected that he had been treated at the prison clinic. on several occasions.
Eliécer Plicett , plaintiff lawyer for the relatives of one of the victims, pointed out that during the hearing it was confirmed that the detainee has indeed received medical attention.
During the hearing, the presentation of images of the events provided by the EFE news agency and the appearance of an eyewitness were also legalized .
On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Darlington got out of his car and shot Iván Rodrigo Méndoza and Abdiel Díaz , who were participating in a closure of the Inter-American highway, in protest of the mining contract. Both protesters died from their injuries.
Darlington remained at the crime scene until police officers arrived.
The Commerce Commission of the National Assembly approved this Wednesday to summon the Minister of Commerce and Industries, Jorge Rivera Staff , to explain how the process of closing the mine in Donoso, province of Colón is progressing.
The questionnaire agreed upon by the commission consists of 22 questions, among which it is worth explaining why the Ministry of Commerce was the one that asked the Minera Panamá company to prepare the closure plan, instead of the Ministry of the Environment.
Likewise, it is questioned how much the cost of the preservation and safe management plan will be for the mine, which closed operations at the beginning of last December after the Supreme Court of Justice declared the contract agreed between the company and the State unconstitutional.
It is also asked if there is an inventory of the project assets , the operation of the thermoelectric plant, the concession of sea water and seabed, and the key points for the maintenance of the tailings vats. Another point to explain is who will assume the cost of closing Minera Panamá’s operations and other metal mining projects for which the concession will not be renewed.
Gold extraction and the chemicals used for this purpose are also included in the questionnaire.
“Transparency and clarity must reign in this process, and we demand that there be citizen participation. We look forward to your appearance,” independent deputy Juan Diego Vásquez wrote on social media.
The Colón Free Zone (ZLC) registered a commercial movement of 33,368 million dollars, a figure that represents an increase of 30% compared to the data for 2022, when the transactions carried out by the companies installed in the commercial complex totaled 25,644 million dollars .
The accumulated figure between January and December 2023 exceeds by 80% the 18,469 million dollars that the ZLC registered in the same period of 2019, prior to the coronavirus respiratory pandemic (covid-19). In 2020, during the mobility restrictions that the Government applied to limit the spread of the respiratory virus, commercial activity in the free zone decreased by 21%.
Of the total recorded last year, 19,607.5 million dollars corresponded to imports (purchases), while re-exports (sales) reached 13,760 million dollars.
Compared to 2022 data, imports and re-exports rose by 39% and 18%, respectively. In its annual report, the ZLC indicates that 2023 “has been the year with the greatest commercial growth, surpassing 2012, which until then was the best year for the free zone, when it reached a cumulative total of 30,792 million dollars.”
Regarding the volume of cargo handled by ZLC companies, last year 2,033 metric tons were moved, an increase of 0.9% compared to the previous year. When looking at the details of the origin of the cargo that entered the commercial zone, it is observed that China, the United States, Brazil, Mexico and India were the main suppliers of the ZLC, representing 74% of imports.
Of this total, China contributed 59% of the cargo purchased by companies operating in the Colon area. Regarding re-exports, the main buyers of the ZLC during 2023 were Venezuela with 13.8%, Panama 13.3%, Nicaragua 7.8%, Costa Rica 6.7%.
They are followed by Cuba 6.7%, Colombia 5.9%, Honduras 5.3%, El Salvador 4%, Dominican Republic 3.8%, and the United States of America with 3.8%, respectively, representing 71.1% of the total re-exported.
The public transportation company MiBus reported on the morning of this Thursday, January 25, the murder of a Metro Bus driver, in a confusing incident when he was completing his route in the City of Knowledge.
“As a responsible company, we are collaborating fully with the authorities to clarify the facts of this tragic event,” the company published on social networks.
For his part, Commissioner Irving Castillo, of the National Police, reported that the driver died after being injured with a firearm.
For now, no one has been arrested for this incident and the motive is not known.
He added that agents from the entity, in coordination with the Homicide Prosecutor’s Office, began investigations into the case. In addition, Castillo said that the victim had already suffered an attack in Panama City in 2023.
The Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama (Imhpa) maintains a watch for high thermal sensation in much of the country, with forecasts suggesting that in some regions it could reach 43 degrees Celsius.
According to the Imhpa report, atmospheric conditions and the position of the earth with respect to the sun will be conducive to maintaining a hot environment on the Pacific slope, the regions of the eastern Caribbean and the coasts of the western Caribbean. This will lead to high thermal sensations during the day and warm nights.
Maximum temperatures are expected to range between 31 and 37 degrees Celsius, with a wind chill that may vary between 34 and 43 degrees Celsius. During the nights, minimum temperatures of 23 to 27 degrees Celsius are anticipated.
It is important to note that there will be conditions that could reach levels of “extreme caution” and, on some occasions, “danger” categories. This could lead to sunstroke, cramps and heat stroke, especially due to prolonged exposure to the sun or during physical activities.
Health authorities recommend that people stay well hydrated, wear hats or caps, and apply sunscreen as preventive measures.