News
Thursday 24th October 2024.
October 23, 2024
The Budget Committee of the National Assembly approved on Wednesday, October 23, a resolution that expands the scope of budget hearings, summoning all public entities, without exception, to participate in the review of the general budget for 2025.
This measure represents a significant change from the decision taken last week, when the same commission had opted to call only the ministries and entities that manage the largest resources.
The new move also comes after the Budget Commission recommended yesterday, Tuesday, that the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) make changes to the budget on several issues.
“Recommend changes so that the Executive Branch incorporates in the budget project 143 what is established in the current laws of the universities, the National Decentralization Authority, the Ministry of Education, among others. And that the Ministry of Economy and Finance includes the subsidy for liquefied petroleum gas and preferential interest rates for mortgages” was part of the resolution read by the secretary of the commission, Manuel Cohen, yesterday Tuesday.
In this last case, the Assembly reported that it is a recommendation, and that the MEF must respond to this request in the next few days. All this occurs at a time when the period of ordinary sessions expires on October 31.
In total, some 90 entities will have to go before the Budget Committee of the National Assembly.
Grettel Villalaz de Allen , appointed by President José Raúl Mulino as the Public Prosecutor, will continue to oversee the conduct of public officials, just as the current Public Prosecutor Rigoberto González does today.
She said this in front of the deputies of the Credentials Committee of the National Assembly , who voted unanimously on Tuesday night to request the full legislative body (71 deputies) to ratify her in office. Villalaz’s time on the committee came after a day marked by protests by mayors and representatives, who demanded more funding for their public works.
In the midst of the debate over his ratification, Deputy Yesica Romero , from the Cambio Democrático (CD) party, asked him: “We have seen a very active prosecutor in terms of investigations into the conduct of public officials. What do you have to say about that aspect?”
Grettel Villalaz de Allen responded as follows: “The duties and powers of the Office of the Attorney General are supported by the Constitution . One of these is the oversight of the actions of public officials, and obviously, if that is one of our responsibilities, we will fulfill it (…)”.
Regarding the challenges that await her in the post, she said that she is committed to promoting the project that gives life to the code of procedure for administrative litigation. She described the issue as “extremely beneficial for the country” because it allows citizens to access public services.
Regarding the professionalization of public servants, he said that the important thing is that they know that accountability and transparency tools are “very important” to avoid corruption.
Independent MP Janine Prado intervened to point out that the current attorney [Rigoberto González] has had an academic and professional approach, as he answers all queries in writing. Based on that, she asked her if she would be willing to have a more active role in cases of conflicts in the communal councils or cases that do not develop as “they should”.
The appointed attorney general replied that the law allows them to adapt the conflict resolution function, but added that adjustments must be made and the current law reorganized to provide a more realistic response to the community.
Prado also asked him if he would agree with the transfer of community justice for the peace to the judicial branch. Villalaz de Allen recalled that they were never part of the Judiciary, but rather of the Ministry of Government. He believes that a review of the law should be carried out so that the requirements demanded to appoint justices of the peace are adequate.
Villalaz de Allen will replace Rigoberto González Montenegro from January 2024.
After the Credentials Committee gave her its vote of confidence, the full Assembly must decide whether to ratify her. This task could be carried out on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 23.
The Comptroller General of the Republic, Gerardo Solís , assured that he does not fear a legal process once his term in office ends, which expires on December 31, 2024.
“I have been accused of many things throughout my life and it is not a bad thing to be investigated,” he said.
What is wrong, he added, is that you are found guilty of having committed a crime. In his opinion, if you are investigated and at the end of that process you emerge with your head held high, it is “more honour and distinction” than someone who has never been investigated.
“I have been investigated a lot and I have always come out with my head held high and this will not be the exception,” Solís said during the conference of regional comptrollers being held in the country this week.
According to Solís, once he leaves office, he will return to “private practice” as a lawyer.
Last August, the comptroller was reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the alleged commission of crimes of abuse of authority and failure to fulfill public duties. The criminal complaint was filed by the deputy of the Otro Camino Movement, Ernesto Cedeño .
The deputy alleged that Comptroller Solís did not collaborate with the fight against crime, by not sending to the Public Ministry a series of audits that caused the closure of some criminal investigations and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino , threatened on Tuesday, October 22, to veto European Union (EU) companies from future tenders in his country if the European bloc does not remove him from its list of tax havens.
“Panama will not allow any country that keeps us on that list to participate in the international tenders that we have starting next year,” warned Mulino at the end of his official visit to France.
In an interview given from a Parisian hotel to three media outlets, including EFE , Mulino gave the EU a deadline of mid-2025 to remove Panama from the list and said that, for the moment, this retaliation that it is considering adopting “is already quite” harsh.
The main tender at stake is for a 400-kilometer railway line between the capital, Panama City, and David, along the border with Costa Rica, for an estimated amount of at least $4 billion.
China has already expressed interest in acquiring the construction of this infrastructure.
During his visit to Paris, the Panamanian head of state welcomed the support received by French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in favour of excluding the Central American country from that list, but harshly criticised both the OECD, a multilateral organisation that brings together several of the richest countries in the world, and the EU.
“We are in a lobbying process to be able to tell our truth, confirm it with figures and be able to tell Europe and the OECD that they are lying about Panama’s status as a country” considered a tax haven, he added.
The president argued that his nation “does not support money laundering” and noted that, since he assumed the Panamanian presidency on July 1, they have responded “promptly” to requests made to the financial authorities of his country.
“Perhaps we were included in those lists (of tax havens) because of the reluctance (of the previous administration) to provide information. For whatever reasons, they did not provide it or they provided it too late (…) Of 48 requests, we have responded on time to 45,” he said.
The mayor of the capital, Mayer Mizrachi, decided not to continue with the contract that he would sign with the Consorcio Brillando 2024 , made up of the companies Festieventos, SA and Grupo Pompa, SA , to be in charge of the lighting and Christmas parade for 2024 in Panama City, for a cost of $1,498,000.
Through Resolution No. 088 of the Mayor’s Office of Panama, dated October 8, Mizrachi cancelled the direct contract that he had initiated.
These companies had been selected for “their extensive experience in carrying out this type of services.” No wonder: during the previous administration, they were in charge of the parade and the installation of the lighting.
However, the Mayor’s Office did not proceed with this “exceptional contractor procedure” because it did not yet have the authorization of the National Economic Council (CENA).
The mayor alleged in the resolution that it is a well-known fact that the Mayor’s Office of Panama has the firm intention of providing a recreational and celebratory activity such as Christmas, and has received “great support from the private sector for the realization of the activities of the celebration of Christmas 2024.”
In fact, for several days now, it has been promoting on its social networks various ideas that could be implemented for the month of December and inviting private companies to sponsor them.
He announced, for example, that a bank will be in charge of the drone show.
The parade is currently scheduled for December 15 on 50th Street, under the name ‘City of Stars’.
The Drug Prosecutor’s Office of Colón and Guna Yala has dismantled a drug trafficking network that operated in the province, arresting nine people. This criminal organization introduced shipments of cocaine in containers that were transported in local ports.
Through Operation Tempest, authorities identified the members of the network and seized a total of 1.6 tons of cocaine in various operations.
In collaboration with European authorities, an additional tonne was seized in a Belgian port.
Investigations revealed that the criminal organisation had informants inside the ports, who provided privileged information about containers that could be used for drug trafficking to Europe.
674 kilograms of cocaine were seized at a dock in Colón, bound for Belgium.
Likewise, on September 2, 400 kilograms of cocaine were seized in a container destined for the same purpose.
The National Aeronaval Service (SENAN) has carried out approximately 35 anti-drug operations in national ports, resulting in the seizure of 14 tons of drugs.
So far this year, the Drug Prosecutor’s Office has managed to seize a total of 94 tons of drugs, mainly in maritime and port operations.