News
Thursday 12th December 2024.
December 11, 2024
The bishops of Central America denounced that the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) has lost its function as a tool for regional integration.
They believe that the institution has been perceived as a refuge for former political officials seeking immunity from legal proceedings.
The bishops have joined in criticising an organisation that is often criticised for its lack of concrete results and for the benefits it grants its members, including immunity and privileges.
“We call on the representatives of Parlacen to return to their ethical vocation and become true servants of the Central American people,” they said.
Regarding Panama, some of the former presidents who have been sworn in at Parlacen include Mireya Moscoso (1999-2004), Martín Torrijos (2004-2009), Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) and Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019).
Budget execution data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which are available on the website of the National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information, indicate that Panama contributes $2.3 million to Parlacen each year.
The statement also addresses the issue of migration, where the religious leaders expressed their concern for the suffering of thousands of migrants fleeing poverty, violence and despair in search of a dignified life.
In this regard, they renewed their commitment to accompany, protect and promote the rights of migrants, highlighting that the future of Central America depends on policies that address the structural causes of migration and provide local opportunities to prevent family separation.
They also reaffirmed the importance of respecting the Escazú Agreement, a regional treaty that promotes access to environmental information, citizen participation and the protection of environmental defenders.
Finally, they called on governments in the region to adopt responsible policies that prioritize human life and the environment over economic interests.
These statements were made at the conclusion of the 82nd Ordinary Assembly of the Episcopal Secretariat of Central America (Sedac), held from November 25 to 29 in El Salvador.
The judge of guarantees Luis Ceballos charged Jonathan González , alias Krusty, 21 years old, with the crime of homicide against the former president of the Municipal Council of San Miguelito, César Pelé Caballero , perpetrated on November 7, 2023 at the time he arrived at his residence located in Villa Zaita.
During a hearing held on the morning of Wednesday, December 11, at the headquarters of the First Judicial District of the Accusatory Criminal System, located in Plaza Ágora, Judge Ceballos accepted the request for indictment presented by the Metropolitan Homicide and Femicide Prosecutor’s Office of the Public Ministry (MP).
According to investigations, Caballero’s murder was allegedly ordered by a prisoner held in Punta Coco prison, after he refused to pay an extortion to hand over funds from parallel decentralization.
According to the prosecutor’s investigation, six days before the murder, the Belisario Porras Communal Board, in the municipality of San Miguelito, headed by Caballero, had received $1 million from the National Decentralization Authority. Apparently, the criminals knew about the arrival of the funds to the local government run by Caballero.
In total, between 2021 and 2023, the Belisario Porras Communal Board received $6.7 million from parallel decentralization.
Alias Crosby was arrested in the province of Colón after a series of raids and investigations carried out by the prosecutor’s office. He was located thanks to intelligence information obtained by the authorities.
Caballero’s crime was committed by several individuals traveling in a gray Kia Soluto vehicle, used to reach the victim’s residence and then flee the scene.
The politician was a close friend of PRD deputy Raúl Pineda , who is currently implicated in Operation Jericó, which dismantled a drug trafficking and money laundering network.
From the beginning of the investigation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office ruled out that Caballero’s murder had political motivations.
A group of property managers in condominiums (PH) say they are concerned about Article 227 of the Civil Procedure Code , which establishes that they have the responsibility of notifying residents of residential complexes when judicial officials are unable to perform this task.
The article establishes that in such cases, the condominium administrator or a member of the board of directors must receive the summons or proof of visit and deliver it immediately to the recipient, being responsible for any damage due to omission or delay in delivery.
At the end of 2023, the new Civil Procedure Code was approved , legislation through which it is expected that the Judicial Branch will more quickly and immediately resolve conflicts of a civil, patrimonial, commercial or economic nature, between natural persons, legal entities or individuals.
A year later, PH administrators have reacted to the scope of the rule.
Mario Vargas, a lawyer specializing in horizontal property and member of the Association of Horizontal Property and Real Estate Law Attorneys (Adaphi), pointed out that this new responsibility imposes an additional burden on administrators.
“Administrators do not always have the necessary knowledge to carry out this procedure, which could lead to conflicts with residents and owners,” Vargas explained.
Article 227 expressly states that: “In the event that the official cannot comply with the diligence because the address indicated in the complaint corresponds to a real estate unit incorporated into the horizontal property regime, he will deliver the summons or proof of the visit to the condominium administrator.”
Teyra Ehlers, a lawyer and PH administrator, highlighted the legal ambiguities surrounding who should assume this role.
According to the law, the administrator registered in the Public Registry, whether a natural person or the legal representative of a corporation, is responsible.
However, Ehlers says that in practice, this task could fall to the building’s operational staff, leading to confusion.
They said the provisions of the article needed to be clarified and called for a specific framework that clearly defines the responsibilities of administrators and ensures the proper execution of notifications.
A total of 133 million 478 thousand 375 units of cigarettes, worth approximately $24 million, were seized this year by the National Customs Authority .
Soraya Valdivieso , director of Customs, indicated that with this seizure “an approximate profit of 50 million dollars was obtained for organized crime.”
During a press conference in which he provided an overview of the entity’s actions in 2024, this Wednesday, December 11, Valdivieso also indicated that since November 1, the traditional “Christmas without Smuggling” operation was activated throughout the country . To date, they have carried out a total of 70 procedures that have resulted in the retention of various merchandise nationwide of alleged contraband with a CIF value (cost, insurance and freight) of $716,845.
Customs also handled 95 cases of smuggling of agricultural products such as rice seeds, strawberries, onions, yams, pixbae, tomatoes, seedlings, mango and Chinese papaya, among others, resulting in a total value of $745,518 in customs value retention.
The official also recalled that at the beginning of November they launched Operation Dragon, which led to the discovery of 76 boxes containing supposed one balboa coins, better known as martinellis, from China.
He also mentioned the case of the confiscation of bags of counterfeit rice. The entity has not only confiscated these products. It has also confiscated shipments of counterfeit products such as Vicks, toothpaste, shampoo from the well-known brand Head & Shoulders, Protex soaps, Vaseline, Rayovac batteries, fireworks, a large quantity of medicines “and the worst thing is that many of these are obtained under medical prescription, among many others,” he indicated.
Authorities have arrested around 10 people in these cases.
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , made official this Wednesday, December 11, a $500 million financing program with the international banks Citi and BBVA, aimed at promoting the country’s economic reactivation plan, which will be managed through the state-owned Caja de Ahorros (CA).
“The money for the Panamanian people will not come from subsidies or royalties from the State, but from economic reactivation through the private sector,” said the president, thanking Citi and BBVA for their trust in the CA and the state bank.
The program includes a financial contribution of $250 million from Citi and another $250 million from BBVA.
During the event, Mulino said: “How many of the countries that are on our grey lists have this opportunity and this recognition?”, referring to the credit formalized with international banks.
The president stressed that his government is on a crusade to clear Panama’s name and achieve its exclusion from discriminatory lists.
“It cannot be that two global banking organizations make this recognition in the financial world and, having just joined Mercosur, the country shares indecent lists with countries sanctioned by the United Nations, whose Security Council Panama will join in January of next year. If that is not bad politics, I do not understand what is,” said Mulino.
It was reported that this financing will support various productive sectors, with an emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), seeking to promote economic development and job creation throughout the country.
Also participating in the formalization ceremony were Susana García, general manager of the public sector at Banco Citi, and Marisa Pardo, general manager of the public sector for America and Central American Banks at BBVA.
In the first phase of the Christmas operation, which took place between December 4 and 6, 2024, the Consumer Protection and Competition Authority (Acodeco) removed 2,497 expired products.
The entity also reported 155 missing prices, which is one of the most common irregularities detected.
Acodeco reported that 579 economic agents were verified during the operation and 91 anomalies were found throughout the country.
Regarding breaches of the rules on truthfulness in advertising, one of the most frequently detected anomalies is the failure to show the duration of the promotion, that is, the start and end date of these offers. In addition, there were cases in which the year in which the promotion is being run was not indicated.
In relation to information on discounts for retirees, pensioners and senior citizens, four anomalies were found due to the fact that the discount sign was not visible.
During the three days of the operation, 314 queries from different consumers were attended to and 170 economic agents were advised.
The second phase of the Christmas operation will take place on December 12, 13, 14, 21, 27 and 28.