News
Tuesday 30th November 2021.
November 30, 2021
The epidemiological report of the Ministry of Health (Minsa), of this Monday, reports that in the last 24 hours there were no deaths from Covid-19. Given this reality, the number of deaths, since March 2020, when the virus arrived in the country, continues at 7,362. This Monday, the new infections were 94, that is, 114 less than Sunday. To detect the new cases, 3,373 tests were applied, which gave a positivity of 2.7%. The active cases 2,648. Of the latter, there are 2,536 in home isolation, of which 2,450 are at home and 86 in hospital hotels. There are 112 hospitalized patients and 90 of them are in the ward and 22 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Luis Hernández, from the National Directorate of Traffic Operations of the National Police, revealed this Monday, that during this national holiday there were two deaths from traffic accidents. Hernández explained that during the last 72 hours there were 264 traffic accidents, which left a total of 47 injured. He added that in addition the agents of the National Directorate of Traffic Operations placed a total of 4,702 infractions, of which 176 were for driving “under the influence of alcohol.”
An audit report from the Electoral Tribunal (TE) dismissed the allegations of alleged irregularities in the use of the electoral subsidy for the Democratic Change (CD) party, chaired by Rómulo Roux. However, they asked the party to correct the case of a rental contract between the CD and the mother of the former deputy and director of the Mariela Vega collective. In other matters, the report indicates that, despite the hiring of family members of executives and per diem paid to CD members, there was no non-compliance because the restriction on these actions was not in force. The TE audit arose as a result of a complaint filed by the 15 dissident deputies who want to take away the presidency of the party from Roux, a group led by Yanibel Ábrego, secretary general of that organization.
President Laurentino Cortizo sanctioned Law No. 258 on November 26, which returns to the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) the power to administratively investigate officials, such as ministers and the Comptroller General of the Republic. After its promulgation, the CSJ may investigate common crimes or misdemeanors committed by the attorneys general of the Nation and Administration, the members of the National Assembly and the magistrates of the Tribunal Electoral.
A judge of guarantees ordered on the afternoon of this Monday, November 29, the provisional arrest of Yeison Felipe Possu Mera for his alleged involvement in the murder of the deputy director of the Public Registry Agustín Lara. The Superior Prosecutor of San Miguelito, William Granados, declared that in the multiple hearings the judge of guarantees legalized the apprehension and imposed charges, for this reason the provisional detention measure was applied.
The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office will investigate the four former officials denounced for alleged simulation of a punishable act and slander in legal proceedings, in relation to what was indicated by the protected witness “Euro 14” in the preliminary hearing of the process for alleged irregularities in the purchase of grains through of the defunct National Aid Program (PAN). The complaint, filed on November 22 by former Education Minister Lucy Molinar, also includes prosecutors Nahaniel Murgas, Adecio Mojica, Tania Sterling, Ruth Morcillo and Zuleika Moore, who were sent on vacation last week and will be investigated by the superior of the Attorney General’s Office.
The First Superior Court did not accept a constitutional guarantee protection presented by the specialized prosecutor against organized crime Emeldo Márquez against a decision of the guarantee judge Erick González, who, on July 15, declared illegal the arrest warrant of former officials of the security forces investigated for alleged arms trafficking in the so-called Operation Fury. In the appeal, the prosecutor Márquez argued that, by not legalizing the apprehension of those investigated, the guarantee judge did not give due weight to the protection of social rights and the protection of the life of nationals and foreigners residing in the country against to the existence of a crime as serious as that of arms trafficking. As part of Operation Fury, the prosecution ordered the arrest of eight former officials of the security forces for their alleged connection to the crime of arms trafficking. Among them, the former director of the National Security Council Rolando López; the former director of the National Border Service (Senafront) Frank Ábrego; and the former director of the National Police Omar Pinzón.
In the last 24 hours, 111 people were apprehended for various crimes, the Ministry of Security (Minseg) reported this Sunday, November 28 . The arrests made by the Joint Task Force (FTC) occurred during the security operation New Year’s Eve Party, and of those people 66 were apprehended for official letters, 15 for administrative offenses, 19 for flagrante delicto (caught committing the crime), 9 for micro-trafficking (trafficking of small amounts of drugs) and 2 for drug trafficking.
The National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) issued on Monday a warning of prevention until December 2, given the forecasts of constant rains in different sectors of the country. According to a statement from Sinaproc, the forecast of bad weather is due to the interaction of various atmospheric systems in the region. It is specified that the areas that are under surveillance due to accumulation of rains are Bocas del Toro, the Ngäbe Buglé region, the northern region of Veraguas, Colón, the Guna Yala region, the Highlands in Chiriquí and maritime sectors.