Friday
Friday 29th November 2024.
November 28, 2024
The judge of guarantees, Ninoska Andrade, charged and ordered the preventive detention of two citizens of Chinese origin, involved in a criminal network dedicated to the counterfeiting of one balboa coins known as ‘martinellis’ that were distributed nationwide.
During a hearing, which began at 1:00 pm this Thursday, November 28, Judge Andrade accepted the request made by prosecutor Zeudi Williams to maintain the preventive detention of brothers Zhi Gin Tang and Chi Feng Tang for the crimes of counterfeiting coins and criminal association , after during a raid carried out in a warehouse in Altos de Tocumen, die-cutting machines for making coins were located.
Among the arguments put forward by the judge to maintain the detention of both defendants is the fact that this is a serious crime, which has caused serious damage to the national economy and has also damaged the image of the country.
During the hearing, prosecutor Williams explained that the investigation, which began following a complaint filed by the National Bank (BNP) in 2022, has uncovered a criminal network dedicated to the counterfeiting of ‘martinellis’.
He said that the Tang brothers ran a storage and transportation company that allowed them to transport counterfeit coins to different parts of the country for sale.
He also explained that the prosecutor’s office carried out raids in Altos de Tocumen, Villa Zaita, Betania and Chiriquí, where some 68,000 counterfeit coins were found. The investigative officer said that they are looking for other people who are believed to be connected to this criminal network and who operate some businesses in different parts of the country, from which the counterfeit coins are transported.
He stressed that those arrested on Wednesday, November 27, in Altos de Tocumen, are related to the other three people arrested on November 1 in a warehouse in Chilibre, where 183,202 fake ‘martinellis’ were seized.
Boquete is the center of the commemoration of the 203 years of independence of Panama from Spain, this Thursday, November 28, with parades and commemorative events that include the presence of the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino.
In his speech, President Mulino referred to the reform of the Social Security Fund, stating that it does not represent just another project, but rather one to save and rescue an institution that is very expensive for all insured persons.
“I am confident that this law that we have proposed, with the changes made during its passage through the Assembly, will be approved very soon, putting the patient first and that is the reason for this reform,” he said.
He urged the National Assembly to abandon political discourse and overcome these differences in order to speed up the approval of this legal reform.
“The National Assembly of Deputies must stand up to this vulgar and politicking discourse and understand that the role they must play must be constructive and lay the foundations for leaving a very important legacy that represents saving the Social Security Fund for present and future generations.”
He indicated that only with this reform will the insured and pensioners of the CSS be able to receive their full amount in January and not 13% less because the money has run out. “We cannot allow that,” he said, indicating that with the reform, resources can be guaranteed and the CSS will be robust and financially sustainable.
He added that this law is possible. “It has important components to ensure not only the survival of the system, which goes beyond social security,” he said, indicating that he is satisfied with making the effort.
“This is a game for all of us, the Assembly and the Executive; I will not stop putting my heart into this law. All the people who are going to say interesting things and others who are going to let their tongues out,” he said, indicating that he hopes that after Mother’s Day, that is, December 8, the law can be approved and sanctioned before December 31.
“The law is not going to be withdrawn,” he said.
He also reiterated that the plan to build the train from Panama to Chiriquí will continue.
VT Shipping International Inc. , the company that was granted the tax benefits of an oil-free zone , said it has “never” operated under such a regime.
“ VT Shipping International provides fuel supply services, which it purchases in the country’s oil-free zones to supply ships in transit. Therefore, we have never operated as an oil-free zone ,” it noted in a statement released on Wednesday, November 27, a day after the Second Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office carried out an ocular inspection at the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI) to locate documents that indicate why this company was recognized (since 2020) with the exemptions of an oil-free zone.
Wednesday’s statement does not explain why the DGI recognized VT Shipping as an oil-free zone, despite the fact that at least three Energy Secretaries, in two different presidential administrations — that of Laurentino Cortizo (2019-2024) and the current one of José Raúl Mulino — certified that the company has permission to supply fuel to ships in transit, via barges.
The permit from the General Secretariat of Energy (SGE) , by the way, was valid until November 20, 2024. The company does not mention this information and does not clarify whether it is managing an extension of it.
The press release states that all VT Shipping operations are governed by Law 8 of 1987 (amended by Law 39 of 2007 ) on hydrocarbons, and Cabinet Decree 36 of 2003 , which establishes a national hydrocarbon policy in the Republic of Panama.
“We are very careful to strictly comply with the Panamanian tax regime in accordance with the regulations for our activity,” he stressed.
On October 1, 2020, the then director of the DGI, Publio De Gracia , signed a resolution to recognize VT Shipping’s application of tax exemptions and other exclusive incentives of an oil-free zone .
In that document, De Gracia reported that the decision was made after analyzing the documentation provided by the taxpayer, which included a list of certificates and resolutions issued by the National Energy Secretariat (SNE) and a copy of its operating notice.
“Therefore, this Directorate considers that the recognition of the tax incentives indicated above and that are administered by this Directorate is viable,” De Gracia noted in Resolution No. 201-6805 of October 1, 2020 .
The downgrade of Panama’s credit rating by Standard & Poor’s (S&P), which leaves the country one step away from losing its investment grade, although it was indeed foreseeable, continues to worry economists and financial analysts.
There are fears that the country will lose its investment grade in the short and medium term from another rating agency, since the report from Moody’s is still awaited.
Analysts agree that this decision by S&P has negative consequences, because although the country still maintained its investment grade, it still increases the cost of financing for the Republic when issuing debt, but it also impacts banks and companies and affects the image of attracting foreign direct investment to the market.
They also stress that the economic scenario looks complicated, with an increase in public debt, lower revenues, an actuarial deficit in the Social Security Fund, and a reform that, although underway, will not generate a definitive solution but only a partial one.
Economist Ernesto Bazán said that S&P’s decision reflects the reality of the deterioration of public finances and the pressure that exists due to the size and increase of the debt.
He recalled that the deficit in September was 7.14% and it is estimated that it will close the year at 6%.
“This rating reduction reflects the rating agency’s disappointment with what it had expected, such as a larger fiscal deficit. Why is the fiscal deficit important for a risk rating agency? Because fiscal deficits are covered by debt. When a country goes into debt, it has to pay more interest. For two reasons. First, because the size of the debt, the volume of debt, increases, but also because its risk increases, and the interest rate increases.”
Following numerous complaints from patients about the shortage of medicines in the units of the Social Security Fund (CSS) , the entity announced the arrival of a significant shipment of drugs intended for the treatment of various conditions.
Among the medications received are antihypertensive drugs, medicines for transplant patients, cholesterol treatments, antibiotics and parenteral solutions. These products will be distributed immediately to health executing units throughout the country.
The general director of the CSS, Dino Mon Vázquez , reported that, in addition to the medications already delivered, tomorrow Friday, November 29, 27,000 vials of insulin will arrive for diabetic patients, a significant advance in the care of the insured.
Mon Vázquez, who alternated his commitments with the discussion of social security reforms, stressed that these medicines were acquired through a tender held at the beginning of his administration, on October 17.
“We are working continuously to ensure that medicines reach all pharmacies in the state. This is an important step to meet the expectations of patients, who have faced difficulties due to the lack of supplies,” said the general director.
The drugs received include amlodipine, perindopril and irbesartan for the treatment of blood pressure; cyclosporine for transplant patients; resuvastatin for cholesterol; as well as antibiotics and parenteral solutions. These drugs will cover the needs of patients for the next six to eight months.
Mon Vázquez stressed that the work of his administration has been aimed at guaranteeing the supply of essential medicines. “We hope that by the middle of next month all our units will be fully supplied,” he added.
This development responds to the repeated complaints of patients, who have expressed their concern about the lack of medicines and the negative impact on their health. The CSS reaffirmed its commitment to public health and assured that it will continue working to meet the needs of the insured population.
In fact, on November 26, La Prensa published a report that exposed the difficult journey that patients face in finding insulin, for example. The recurring complaint of the insured is the lack of medicines, laboratory supplies and surgical delays.