Monday
Monday 19th August 2024.
August 18, 2024
The former presidents of the Republic Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019), Laurentino Cortizo (2019-2024), as well as the former vice president José Gabriel Gaby Carrizo (2019-2024) will be sworn in as deputies of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) next Tuesday, the 20th. of August.
The other deputies and alternates of that forum who were elected in the elections of May 5 will also be sworn in that day. The ceremony will take place at the Parlacen headquarters in the Dominican Republic; that is why some of the representatives of Panama in that institution will travel to the Caribbean country this Monday, August 19.
However, others will attend the ceremony virtually (Zoom), and to do so they must appear at the Parlacen headquarters in Panama, located in Albrook. The event will take place at 2:00 p.m.
Varela is one of those called to trial in the Odebrecht case , and is prohibited from leaving the country due to this process.
Varela will represent the Panameñista Party in the Central American organization. Cortizo and Carrizo, by law, have the right to a position in Parlacen due to their status as former president and former vice president of the Republic, respectively.
It is unknown whether Cortizo and Carrizo will travel to the Dominican Republic or be sworn in from the Parlacen headquarters in Panama.
Another of those who will be sworn in next Tuesday is Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares , substitute for deputy Giselle Burillo . His brother Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, who is second in command to Carlos Outten, was sworn in as substitute deputy of the National Assembly, Tomás Benavides , on July 25.
They are all part of the ranks of the Realizing Goals (RM) party , a political group founded by former president Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014).
The Martinelli Linares brothers were sworn in in August 2023 as alternate deputies to Parlacen for the 2019-2024 period to avoid the Blue Apple case. The sons of former President Martinelli are also being investigated for the Odebrecht case.
In conversation with La Prensa, Congressman Carlos Outten said that Varela, Cortizo and Carrizo attended the induction meetings for the swearing-in, sessions that were held via Zoom. “They are ready for the 20th (of August),” Outten added to this media.
The Institute for the Training and Utilization of Human Resources (Ifarhu) will begin tomorrow, August 19, the payment process for various programs to more than 43 thousand primary, middle and high school students from private and public schools who have not received their scholarship and financial assistance benefits since 2023.
n a statement, Ifarhu reported that $20 million will be disbursed in checks that were issued by the previous administration and are about to expire this August, but that have not been delivered to the beneficiaries. For this payment, Ifarhu separated each of the schools according to the regional agency or direction to which the educational center belongs:
Payments for master’s degrees, period I and period II of 2024 and those pending payments for 2023, will also be made by check delivery and are scheduled for Monday, September 2 to Friday, September 13, 2024.
Meanwhile, the payment of the Universal Educational Social Assistance Program (Pase-U), financial assistance and scholarships processed in 2024, are still waiting to be scheduled.
Drug prosecutor Joseph Diaz concluded on Saturday night, August 17, with the filing of charges against the 29 arrested in Operation Jericho , accusing them of the alleged commission of crimes related to money laundering and drug trafficking.
On Sunday, August 18, the judge of guarantees Mike Zúñiga Rodríguez , after hearing the arguments of the defense attorneys, is expected to decide whether or not to accept the prosecution’s request for charges, as well as the corresponding precautionary measures, according to the degree of involvement of each defendant.
During the hearing on Saturday, which began at 8:00 am, prosecutor Díaz explained the details of the defendants’ participation in a complex criminal network that introduced drugs through the Darién coast and transported them by land to the border with Costa Rica.
Díaz explained that the criminal organization was divided into several groups: one that received the boats loaded with drugs, unloaded the merchandise and hid it in farms located in Darién and Chepo; another group was in charge of transporting the drugs in vehicles with double bottoms to Chiriquí, to then take them across to Costa Rica through the Breñón area, in the district of Renacimiento, Chiriquí. Finally, another group was dedicated to money laundering through businesses that pretended to be legal, as well as the purchase of vehicles and real estate.
Among those arrested on Thursday, August 15, were several public servants: two agents of the National Border Service, a member of the National Police, an official of the Ministry of Health and both a current and a former official of the Ministry of Government. In this regard, the Ministry of Public Security stated that, due to the arrest of some members of the security forces in operations against organized crime, the entity reiterates its commitment to the fight against corruption and crime, including the purification of its ranks. It also expressed its firm support for the investigations carried out by the Public Prosecutor’s Office “to get criminals off the streets.”
The National Police is offering between $5,000 and $25,000 to people who provide “accurate” information on the location of any of the 11 fugitives who are being investigated for the alleged commission of money laundering and drug trafficking crimes in the midst of Operation Jericho.
For Abraham Rico Pineda, son of Congressman Raúl Pineda, member of the leadership of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) , the police are offering the maximum sum: $25 thousand.
While for Omar Alexander Ortega Robles, and Jorge Néstor Sánchez Rodríguez, the authorities promise to deliver $20 thousand.
For Annyuri Frank Villarreal, they are willing to pay $10,000.
$5,000 will be paid to anyone who provides information about Juan Manuel Aguilar Reyna, Gregorio Germín Miller alias “Gregori”, Eduardo Lionel Martínez Collins alias “Ameba”, Rubén Ariel Pérez Sanclamente, Luis Diego Pittí, Carlos Rodrigo Bascombe Samaniego, and Juan Abdiel Chérigo alias “Coya”.
Authorities suspect that Abraham Rico Pineda was the person in charge of handling the money. According to investigations, the network invested large sums of money to create companies. So far, the National Police has seized 2.6 million dollars in assets and 300 million dollars in cash. Those under investigation are accused of allegedly committing the crimes of money laundering and conspiracy to commit drug-related crimes.
CAF –development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean– signed a non-reimbursable technical cooperation agreement with the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (Cciap), through which it contributes to the country’s food security with the creation of sustainable farms, benefiting 150 families located in the town of Toabré, district of Penonomé in the province of Coclé.
The agreement was signed by the CAF representative in Panama, Lucía Meza, and by the president of the CCIAP, Juan Alberto Arias , accompanied by their respective work teams, who exchanged expressions of gratitude for the mutual trust and for the process of necessary negotiations to achieve the agreement.
Meza explained that this is a cooperation of $150,000 that will be disbursed to support the project called “Technical transfers of crops for the creation of sustainable farms for family consumption and to promote small business initiatives.”
The price labels on goods and services often do not match when paying in commercial establishments. There are also some misleading offers and other irregularities that affect consumers.
This was detected by officials from the Consumer Protection and Competition Authority (Acodeco) when they inspected several establishments this weekend, in connection with the shopping season for the thirteenth-month payment of workers from both the public and private sectors.
The administrator of Acodeco, Ramón Abadi Balid , said that most of the irregularities detected in inspections in both shopping centers in the capital and in the interior of the country, refer to the fact that the prices of the offers do not match at the time of payment at the checkout and that anomalies have also been recorded with the dates of validity of the promotions.
He said there are more than 100 people inspecting the commercial premises.
“When these faults are discovered, the seller is first consulted so that he can rectify and correct the error, but when it is perceived that it is recurrent, sanctions are applied,” said Ramón Abadi Balid, urging consumers to report the irregularities.
The Acodeco administrator stressed that the functions of the verifier are to educate, prevent and sanction.
“We sanctioned, I think we have more than 1,175 sanctions, but we are going to try to correct things, which are minimal, and guide them as much as possible,” added Abadi Balid.
When purchasing, Acodeco recommends that consumers:
- Be wary of items with little warranty.
- Ask before purchasing, about service facilities.
- Request the warranty certificate, ask about workshops and availability of repairs and parts.
- Request, save and take a copy or photo of the proof of purchase, as it will be useful for possible claims.
- And most importantly, compare prices in different commercial establishments.
They also pointed out that users can report any irregularities through the Institutional Information and Complaint System (Sindi), which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via WhatsApp and Telegram at 6330-3333 or through the social media accounts AcodecoPma on Facebook, X and the website of this institution.