News
Tuesday 19th March 2024.
March 18, 2024
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama formally protested before the Chancellery of Nicaragua about the “permissive attitude of the government” of that Central American country, by “openly” and defiantly contravening the development of the diplomatic function.
This is stated in a note that the Panamanian Foreign Ministry sent to its counterpart from Nicaragua, a country that granted asylum to former president Ricardo Martinelli, who declared himself politically persecuted, following the ratification of his sentence of more than 10 years in prison for money laundering. capitals in the New Business case.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama rejects that, under the protection of supposed protection, Mr. Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal continues to use the Nicaraguan diplomatic headquarters in Panama, for political-partisan purposes, with the silence of its authorities, which “For purposes, it is an open interference in Panamanian internal affairs by the government of Nicaragua,” reads the document dated March 14, but released this Monday, March 18.
Consequently, the Panamanian Foreign Ministry, headed by Janaina Tewaney, demands that Nicaragua “observe its international obligation to ensure that its diplomatic headquarters in Panama preserves the functions established by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.”
Indeed, from the Nicaraguan embassy, where he barricaded himself, and in open violation of international conventions, Martinelli continues to proselytize in view of the general elections of May 5, 2024. There he receives his co-partisans, many of whom are members the electoral offer of his party Realizing Goals (RM) for the May tournament, sends messages with political overtones to his followers; He asks for the vote for José Raúl Mulino, RM’s presidential candidate, and uses social networks without restriction to send intimidating messages to those he considers his adversaries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama also released a statement this Monday in which it reiterates that it does not recognize the transfer of the Nicaraguan consulate to a house adjacent to its diplomatic headquarters, in the La Alameda urbanization, district of Betania, which is why it warns that “it does not “recognizes diplomatic privileges and immunities in property 61B” and therefore no activity can be carried out there on behalf of the government of Nicaragua. Through Note No. 46 NIC 20245 dated March 4, Nicaragua notified the Panamanian authorities of the following: “ Our consulate will begin to operate as of today in the house next to our diplomatic headquarters. That is, our Embassy will operate from duplexes numbers 61A and 61B, in the La Alameda urbanization, Calle 63G .”
An ocular inspection of the community board of Rodrigo Luque , in the province of Veraguas, was carried out this Monday, March 18, by the prosecutor for investigation and follow-up of the case of the Second Jurisdictional District, Pedro Batista, and staff from the General Electoral Prosecutor’s Office .
The objective of this inspection was to request reports on the use of the budget items assigned to the 2023 decentralization program, Batista explained.
He added that they proceeded to carry out the judicial procedure after a complaint was filed indicating that the raided community board allegedly uses decentralization funds to promote candidacies for popularly elected positions.
The prosecutor explained that it will be up to the experts of the Electoral Prosecutor’s Office to study the reports received (municipal decentralization and social assistance) to corroborate or not whether there is any electoral crime.
Unlike what happened last week with the inspection carried out at the community board of Portobelillo de Parita, Herrera, where they did not find its offices or the representative of that district, the officials of the Prosecutor’s Office located the representative of Rodrigo Luque.
This is councilor Jacinto Serrano, a member of the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) . The representative stated that he proceeded to provide all the documents requested by the prosecutor’s office staff so that the “investigation is carried out with transparency.” To date, the Electoral General Prosecutor’s Office maintains at least 20 investigations related to the allocation of money for decentralization in the community boards.
Newspaper reports indicate that in 2023 – the current PRD administration – more than $260 million were distributed through the so-called parallel decentralization.
Two days after Mayer Mizrachi ‘s altercation with an official from the Don Bosco community board, the self-proclaimed ” ghetto yeye ” and candidate for Mayor of Panama for the Popular Party (PP), apologized in a video posted on his account. on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
“I want to issue my most sincere apologies to the gentleman from the Don Bosco communal board for the way in which I spoke to him,” Mizrachi said in the 4:01-minute video. “As much as I was provoked, the way I reacted is not worthy of admiration or my name, nor of replicating,” he added.
Mizrachi recognizes that “even though I was wrong in form, deep down what I said was the frustration of thousands of Panamanians who feel forgotten… abandoned and outraged by the politicians who promised us that they would solve basic problems of our society.” community”.
This message will be a source of ridicule for the political caste, but perhaps a little vulnerability and humility is precisely what they themselves need.
The guarantee judge Karolina Santamaría charged charges and ordered the preventive detention of Jeremy Córdoba (alias Wasón) for his alleged participation in the robbery and homicide of nutritionist Charles Dean Zambrano , whose dismembered body was located in the El Llano sector, Felipillo , township on December 24.
Dean Zambrano, whom no one had seen since March 7, was a supervisor of a food supply company in La Joya prison and had recently filed a complaint against officials who were bringing drugs and liquor into the prison. Investigators now think that this complaint had some connection in the homicide.
Córdoba was identified as the person who appropriated Dean Zambrano’s car and everything indicates that behind the events is a group known as “La Resistencia”, which operates in the Felipillo area.
The investigations revealed that the nutritionist was kidnapped, tortured and murdered on March 11. His body was dismembered and found on March 14. He was identified through DNA tests carried out by the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf) .
Córdoba surrendered to the authorities last Saturday, after the Homicide and Femicide Prosecutor’s Office issued a driving order. The prosecution attributed the alleged commission of the crimes of homicide and robbery to Córdoba.
The Public Ministry managed to collect a large amount of evidence from Córdoba’s cell phone that reveals his participation in the events.
Panama has expelled 30 vessels sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury from its merchant navy and has begun the process of canceling another 11 vessels that still sail under the Panamanian flag.
In total, according to statistics from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), there are 863 ships canceled from 2019 to date for different reasons, of which 706 have been ex officio and 157 have been due to annulment and judicial sales.
The information was provided from the visit of a delegation led by Abram Paley , deputy special envoy for Iran of the United States government, who has asked Panama to remove its flag from Iranian ships that have been sanctioned for having been used by organizations. terrorists. The last sanction fell last Friday on the Lady Sophia , a Panamanian-flagged ship owned by the shipping company Vishny Inc. , registered in the Marshall Islands. Both the shipping company and the Lady Sophia were included that day on the list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) , of the Department of the Treasury, for having provided assistance to send aid to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC). -QF, for its acronym in English).
Precisely, with Paley was OFAC’s principal advisor, Miad Maleki, in the delegation .
The visit of the American delegation took place on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, but it was this Monday, March 18, that the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) reported on its results.
The AMP told Paley and Maleki that, to date, there are no vessels owned by Iranian nationals in its registry, “that we are aware of.”
The National Directorate of Transit Operations reported that it issued a total of 8,331 tickets for violations in the last 72 hours.
Among the most common violations are 1,244 for speeding, 117 cases of proven drunkenness, 66 related to alcoholic breath, 110 for expired licenses and 622 for inadequate lights.
In addition, 335 vehicles were towed, while 383 traffic accidents were recorded, resulting in 94 injuries and 5 fatalities.
On the other hand, the Police indicated that, together with the Public Ministry, they arrested 580 people in the last 72 hours. Of these, 316 were by trade, 184 for administrative offenses, 58 in flagrante delicto, 21 for micro-trafficking and one for drug trafficking.
Also in this period, 24,568 dollars were seized, along with 26 firearms with 269 ammunition, 192 packages of drugs and two cars.