News
Tuesday 15th October 2024.
October 14, 2024
The former mayor of the district of Panama, Bosco Ricardo Vallarino Castrellón , was arrested this Monday, October 14, in an apartment in the district of San Francisco .
The operation was conducted by agents of the Judicial Investigation Directorate (DIJ) of the National Police , an entity that last Friday had offered a reward of $5,000 to anyone who provided information on the whereabouts of the former mayor. The same happened with the former mayor of Arraiján, Pedro Sánchez Moro : he was captured on Saturday, one day after it was announced that there was a reward .
Shortly after the arrest was announced, a video was released in which Vallarino communicated his intention to surrender to the authorities.
“After 12 years, I am tired of facing trials… I have made the decision, after going through the pain of appearing on a poster, that I am going to show up to face whatever it takes,” Vallarino said in the video.
At the Public Prosecutor’s Office, sources linked to the case assured that “he did not turn himself in.” At least not voluntarily. The DIJ went to look for him at his residence in San Francisco, without warning him.
The National Police also stepped in. In a released video, Commissioner Edgardo Núñez , National Director of Citizen Security, said that a search warrant was carried out at the PH, in order to arrest Vallarino.
La Prensa learned that the National Police had been monitoring the area for almost 48 hours . When the agents finally arrived at the ground floor of the building, a lawyer for Vallarino came out and announced that his client would turn himself in. It was too late: he was taken away in handcuffs and under guard, in a white four-door pickup truck . He was wearing a blue blanket covering his head.
Vallarino has two sentences: one of four years in prison for the crime of corruption of public servants for confessing to having received a bribe of $6,000 from the Brazilian Alexandre Ventura Nogueira , and another, of 12 years in prison, for embezzlement by hiring a consultancy for the collection of hospital waste.
This latest conviction has not yet been finalized, as the former mayor filed an appeal that is pending a decision in the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice.
Vallarino had requested that the 48-month prison sentence be replaced by the payment of fines, which was denied on September 7. His lawyers submitted a new petition in this regard, which will be addressed at a hearing scheduled for October 31.
Nominated by the Panameñista party , Vallarino was mayor between 2009 and 2012, when he resigned citing health reasons.
It is unknown which prison he will be sent to.
The Institute for the Training and Utilization of Human Resources (Ifarhu) disbursed $232,800 for 24 people to attend a six-month English course, but according to the beneficiaries, it was only extended for two months.
Although – according to information released by the Ministry of the Presidency – the course was taught in the United States, the beneficiaries claim that it was virtual and that they “never traveled” abroad. Most of the participants do not even have a visa to enter that country.
These financial aids were granted in March 2021, when Ifarhu was under the direction of Bernardo Meneses.
La Prensa reviewed some of the 24 contracts for the English course and found inconsistencies.
Some documents also mention that the course would be taught by Vedx Solutions Inc. located in New Zealand; others indicate that this company is located in Panama.
Each participant was granted a grant of $9,700: $1,200 to “cover travel expenses” and $8,500 to cover the cost of the course, money given directly to the educational center.
The Ifarhu contracts state that Vedx Solutions Inc. would provide the virtual course for six months, starting “in November 2020, expiring in April 2021.” However, other contracts state that the course would be held between March and September 2021.
The list of financial aid that was released indicates that the course began on March 3, 2021.
A professor from the University of Panama (UP) enrolled in the course, who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, confirmed to La Prensa that “we never left” the country.
The teacher highlighted that Ifarhu offered the course as a “scholarship” for students of the UP Faculty of Public Administration, but that, upon learning of the irregularities with the financial aid, they reviewed their contracts and noticed that the location of Vedx Solutions varied in the different documents.
In the list of beneficiaries it was observed that in the section called “career” the phrase “not listed” or “primary secondary” was placed.
Those interviewed by La Prensa agreed that “the course barely made it to June. It was too basic.”
Another interesting fact is that the certificates of approval do not include the name of Vedx Solutions Inc., the company initially linked to the program, but rather that of Global XR Academy .
Global XR Academy was established in 2021 in Bend, Oregon, United States, during the pandemic, as highlighted on its LinkedIn account . Vedx Solutions was registered in the same city.
The Global XR Academy Facebook account was opened five months after the course started, on August 16, 2021, while Vedx Solutions Inc. was registered on December 14, 2020. These accounts have 47 and 226 followers, respectively.
Luis Aldeano, father of one of the beneficiaries, expressed his concern about the possible repercussions for the students and their families.
“My daughter has never left Panama. She doesn’t even have a passport,” she said.
Among the participants in the program are administrative officials from UP and Ifarhu.
One of the beneficiaries was Jeaneira Rodríguez. Shortly after completing the course, Rodríguez was appointed supervisor of international scholarships at Ifarhu, according to a report from the entity’s payroll in February 2022.
Rodriguez, who was later transferred to the legal department of Ifarhu, was dismissed last February, but her case is being reconsidered, a source said.
The general director of Transporte Masivo de Panamá, SA, administrator of Mi Bus, Carlos Sánchez Fábrega, announced that by the end of the year there will be around 1,000 buses in operation, which will stabilize the transportation service in Panama City and San Miguelito.
It is estimated that by the end of the year, when the number of people on the streets increases due to the end-of-year festivities, the Mi Bus public transport system will have around 1,000 operational metrobuses, which will stabilize the service, Sánchez Fábrega highlighted in the Telemetro Reporta newscast.
According to Mi Bus, at least 1,200 buses are required to adequately cover passenger demand in the metropolitan area (Panama and San Miguelito districts).
At present, 815 units remain operational , of which 200 buses were repaired in a period of 100 days, which helped to relieve congestion in a transport system that had collapsed.
On August 20, 2024, the Cabinet Council declared the cable car project in the districts of Panama and San Miguelito to be of public interest , which will be executed under the Administrative Concession System modality.
With the approval of resolution No. 78-24, the Metro received the green light to begin the process of studies and selection of the concessionaire for the cable car project in Panama and San Miguelito.
Among the advances achieved by the Metro is the opening of the contracting process for the company responsible for carrying out the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) category II. Initially, the submission of proposals had been set for Friday, October 11, but following requests for an extension of time by the interested companies, the Metro rescheduled the event for Friday, October 18.
According to the Government, the purpose of the construction of the cable car is to reach a segment of the population of Panama and San Miguelito that is not adequately served by Metro lines 1 and 2 or by the MetroBus fleet, due to the topographical conditions of the areas in which they reside.
Preliminary studies estimate that the potential demand for the Metro Cable is approximately 4 thousand trips during peak hours, increasing to more than 6 thousand trips in 2040. One of the main obstacles identified are the high-voltage cables installed in the Northern Corridor, which would complicate the journey to points such as Santa Librada and Torrijos Carter, among others.
If you are asked for your identity document at a National Police checkpoint, you can show the digital ID card that will be available in the next few days.
According to authorities from the Electoral Tribunal (TE), the digital ID card will have the same format as the physical ID card, and according to the TE, it will allow quick, agile and reliable access to services provided by government entities and private companies through the Internet, with the guarantee of the security and protection of personal data.
The service will be launched tomorrow, Tuesday, October 15, but it will begin to function in approximately 30 days. To obtain it, you must download a mobile application, enter your ID number and validate your facial biometrics.
This Monday, October 14, Alfredo Juncá , presiding magistrate of the TE, received the Minister of Public Security, Frank Ábrego , to discuss the issue.
“It is a very secure ID card. We have reinforced all the security parameters within the Electoral Tribunal, in order to provide citizens with a secure, reliable document, with the same standards as the physical ID card,” said Javier Olivardía, deputy director of Information and Communications Technology at the TE.
Minister Ábrego said that members of the National Police are being trained on how to use the tool. It has a QR code that can be identified via the Internet,” he said.
“The digital ID card will not replace the physical version of personal identity documents and its download is not mandatory, but is optional for those who require it, but it will have the same legal validity as the physical document issued by the Electoral Court, so it must be accepted by all public entities and private companies that provide services through the Internet,” reads the Electoral Bulletin 5729-A of the TE.