News
Thursday 3rd July 2025.
July 2, 2025
The president of the National Assembly, Jorge Herrera , plans to define the roadmap this Wednesday to resume discussion of the draft reforms to the Internal Regulations of that state body.
He announced that he plans to meet with the party leaders as a first step toward initiating the debate, once the permanent legislative committees are formed.
Herrera, a representative from the Panameñista party, emphasized that these reforms are key to honoring the commitment to transparency and improving the Assembly’s image, following the alliance with the rest of the opposition parties.
“That’s the first thing we’re going to look at. Today I’m fully back in the office, and we’re going to try to coordinate well with the party leaders,” he said.
He admitted that this issue will generate “a lot of controversy” and multiple “interests.”
Last March, the Assembly established a subcommittee of the Credentials Committee, tasked with analyzing 11 proposed laws to reform the Internal Regulations, after several months of waiting.
Among the key points to be discussed is the proposal that representatives who do not attend sessions will not receive their salaries, a measure that seeks to ensure greater commitment and accountability. Strategies will also be evaluated to improve the efficiency of legislative processes and eliminate the so-called “bottlenecks,” with the goal of optimizing the use of public resources.
David Ochy Diez , head of the construction company Transcaribe Trading, SA (TCT) , a major state contractor during the government of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), has finally arrived in Panama.
The Supreme Court of Costa Rica authorized his extradition to face charges of alleged money laundering through the company New Business .
Ochy arrived on a commercial flight to Tocumen Airport, where his lawyer Roberto Moreno and the deputies of the Central American Parliament ( Parlacen ), Dorindo Jayan Cortés and Carlos Outten , both nominated by the Realizando Metas (RM) party, were waiting for him.
Ochi is Jayan’s alternate. Therefore, once in Panama, he was taken to the Supreme Court of Justice, the body constitutionally responsible for investigating and prosecuting deputies of the National Assembly and, in this case, of Parlacen.
The extradited man traveled aboard flight CM-763, operated by Copa Airlines, which departed from San José at 8:38 a.m. (9:38 a.m. Panama time). It landed at Tocumen Airport at 10:55 a.m.
On the same flight was a man deported from Costa Rica. He is Panamanian Yaukiol Núñez , who is accused of homicide. His criminal record is unknown.
The president of TCT traveled under the protection of Interpol Costa Rica agents , who handed him over to their colleagues at Interpol Panama. They, in turn, took him to the Court, where a hearing will be held to determine his procedural status and, if necessary, issue precautionary measures.
Ochy was arrested in Costa Rica on December 5, 2023, for an investigation related to alleged money laundering, of which he was acquitted. However, his detention was maintained after Panama requested his extradition for New Business.
For this case, Daniel and Dina Ochy Diez , David’s siblings, have already been sentenced to 96 and 80 months in prison.
New Business was the basket company used by a group of state officials and contractors to acquire the shares of Editora Panamá América, SA (Epasa) with public funds.
In addition to Daniel and Dina Ochy, criminal judge Baloisa Marquínez , in July 2023, sentenced former president Martinelli (who evaded prison time by seeking asylum in Colombia), Janeth Vásquez , and Iván Arrocha . Subsequently, in May 2024, the Superior Court for the Liquidation of Criminal Cases revoked the dismissal and sentenced brothers Nicolás and José Carlos Corcione and Gonzalo Germán Gómez .
Valentín Martínez Vásquez was found guilty and sentenced by Judge Marquínez, but last March, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice acquitted him.
Former Calidonia representative Ramón Ashby will remain in custody after the First Judicial District Superior Court of Appeals upheld a court judge’s decision denying him the right to substitute his 60-month prison sentence with community service.
This is the third time Ashby has failed in his attempt to have his sentence commuted to an alternative sanction.
The Court of Appeals judges—Omaira Jaramillo, Adilio González, and Felipe Weitson—upheld the decision made by a court of law enforcement on June 27 and decided to maintain the detention of the former Calidonia representative.
The decision was based on the fact that the requested alternative sentence does not fulfill the general preventive function of the criminal sanction, and Ashby must therefore continue serving his prison sentence.
On November 29, 2024, Compliance Judge Angeline Adames had granted Ashby the opportunity to perform community service at the Parque Lefevre health center instead of serving the five years of prison sentence imposed for embezzlement. However, this measure was revoked following an appeal filed by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
Ashby was sentenced to 60 months in prison for embezzlement against the Calidonia Community Board , after irregularities were detected in the handling of $564,000 allocated to that entity.
The former representative was arrested on September 30, 2024, shortly after 10:00 a.m., at a residence in Condado del Rey. The arrest warrant had been in effect since July 18 of that year.
Ashby, a member of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) , served as representative of the Calidonia district for several terms, and was even president of the Panama Municipal Council.
An Ecuadorian citizen involved in the robbery of an armored truck loaded with jewelry in California, United States, was arrested this Wednesday in Panama.
He was arrested at Tocumen International Airport after arriving on a flight from Guatemala. Interpol agents were already waiting for him at the airport.
According to investigations, the man, approximately 33 years old, is linked to the theft of diamonds, emeralds, and other objects valued at $100 million, which occurred in July 2022.
The criminals—seven in total—were watching the armored truck carrying more than 70 bags of jewelry after it left an international jewelry fair near San Francisco.
A senior official in the Presidency of the Republic was driving a state-rented vehicle early Saturday morning when he was involved in an accident that left a 33-year-old motorcyclist dead.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Via España and East 79B Street, shortly after 2:00 a.m. on June 28, 2025.
Ricardo Rafael Royo Guerra was driving a white Isuzu MU-X pickup truck , which had been rented by the Presidency – as confirmed by this newspaper with a source from the entity – towards 12 de Octubre Avenue .
A report from the Directorate of Traffic Operations states that Royo informed the agents that he worked for the Ministry of the Presidency as deputy administrative director . However, on the central government payroll, he appears as “Community Promoter Coordinator I,” with a monthly salary of $5,000. His start date, with permanent status, is listed as March 17, 2025.
The Traffic Operations report details that the Isuzu truck collided with an SPI motorcycle, model ZX-150 , driven by RJVG, who died at the scene due to the strong impact.
On social media within the Venezuelan community in Panama, it is reported that the deceased was originally from the state of Zulia.
Prosecutor Itzelis Gutiérrez arrived at the scene and ordered the officer’s arrest. He was given a breathalyzer test, which showed that, although he had consumed some alcohol, his level did not indicate intoxication.
The official then attended a hearing and was subsequently released.
Credit purchases using the installment system have become popular among Panamanian consumers, who see this as an opportunity to reserve merchandise they cannot afford to pay for in cash at a specific time.
However, the Consumer Protection and Competition Authority (ACODECO) reported that in the last five months they have received 129 complaints from various consumers for refunds totaling $719,241, and some cases are associated with installment purchases.
In this regard, the agency recommended that before purchasing products on installments or installments, it is important to check the conditions of these types of product sales in stores.
Acodeco has made a list of measures that consumers should take before making a purchase:
- Ask about the conditions established by the economic agent on these purchases, such as the time to cancel the account, what happens if you do not want to continue with the purchase (penalties) and other details or questions about it .
- Before signing the installment purchase agreement, you must ask the selling agent to provide the serial number of the property and some of its characteristics . In addition, the installment payment deadline must be clearly stated.
- Always request a written warranty, even when the products are on sale. The terms and conditions of the warranty must be clear and precise.
- Review and read carefully before signing. Remember that you must be given a copy of this document.
Acodeco mentioned that according to Law 45 of 2007, in its Article 53, among other regulations, it is established that the supplier will be responsible for the good that the consumer sets aside through credits to the sale price, and may not replace it with a similar good.
Furthermore, it warns that consumers are not obligated to receive credit notes if the economic agent fails to comply with the terms of the purchase. “And in the event of noncompliance by the consumer, a percentage of the amount paid may be deducted.”
Registration for applicants for the 2025 Job Fair, organized by the Panama City Hall, is now open.
The capital city council, headed by Mayer Mizrachi , has announced that the fair will take place this Saturday, July 5 , and will be located at the Megapolis Convention Center.
The fair, which will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., will feature more than 130 companies , offering approximately 3,200 job openings.
According to Mizrachi, the entire process has been digitalized to provide a better experience for applicants, and it is therefore necessary to register in advance at https://vacantes.mupa.gob.pa/postulantes . This way, applicants will be assigned a specific time to enter the event and tour the companies they applied to, he added.
According to the mayor, the registration seeks to avoid long lines and crowds at the fair . The process facilitates the candidate’s journey.
or between companies, which can validate the previously entered profile.
The Job Fair offers opportunities in a variety of industries, including aviation, food, education, hospitality, healthcare, services, tourism, and many others.