News
Wednesday 11th June 2025.
June 10, 2025
Trade unionists Julia Suira and Aniano Pinzón were suspended for two years from the National Council of Organized Workers (Conato) .
This was reported by Nelva Reyes , general secretary of the General Autonomous Confederation of Workers of Panama (CGTP).
“They didn’t abide by the political line that Conato defined on various occasions,” Reyes said.
The suspension occurred this Monday, after Suira spoke to various media outlets, in which he made an urgent call to clear the closed roads in Bocas del Toro, especially in critical areas such as Changuinola and Chiriquí Grande, where the blockades have caused serious impacts on workers and communities in the region.
Reyes explained that both leaders “failed to respect” what was endorsed by the majority in Conato, which is support for the fight against mining exploitation and reforms to the Social Security Fund law .
“Furthermore, they have played almost no part in this fight,” Reyes said, noting that they issued a statement in which “they blame us for Panama losing investments, when the causes are different. That’s not the fight. Furthermore, the fight we are waging is the responsibility of Mr. José Raúl Mulino, who is responsible for enforcing the law, such as Law 462.”
The statement Reyes refers to is one published by the National Democratic Trade Union Coordinator, entitled: “If intransigence prevails, all of Panama loses.”
Suira is general secretary of the Workers’ Central Casa Sindical, and Pinzón is general secretary of the General Union of Workers.
In Suira’s view, protecting jobs should be a priority for every union leader: “A union isn’t a union if all its workers are laid off . ”
A suspension of Law 468 , which established a new preferential interest rate regime, is moving forward in the National Assembly. But this would not be the only action taken against the law. The Executive Branch would seek to modify it before it goes into effect on January 1, 2026.
“For Law 468 to become operational [in 2026], some improvements must be made, especially regarding Article 12, which contains a section limiting the conditions for long-term loans. We understand the purpose of the article; however, it needs some improvements for the law to work,” said Deputy Minister of Housing Fernando Méndez Peralta, following a question from Representative Eduardo Gaitán of the Vamos coalition about a future modification to the law currently being sought to be suspended.
The point to be modified would be article 12 of Law 468, which establishes: “ Between six and twelve months before the end of the subsidy granted under the preferential interest regime, the bank that granted the loan must carry out an evaluation of the financial situation of the beneficiary […]” .
The text raised concerns in the banking and real estate sectors, which warned of the suspension of transactions at some banks following the approval of Law 468.
Faced with the paralysis of the procedures for some 9,000 families, the Executive Branch sought to suspend the regulation, an intention it advanced in the first debate of the Economy and Finance Committee on Monday, June 9.
The president of the board of directors of the Panamanian Banking Association, Raúl Guizado, explained in a previous interview with La Prensa that this article was not sufficiently reviewed, nor were its implications analyzed.
He pointed out that, as drafted, it is understood as a mandate and an order, which he considers counterproductive and discourages banks from participating in the approval of loans in the preferential interest segment under those conditions.
Article 12 was originally proposed by Representative Benicio Robinson Jr. of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) during the second debate of Law 468 last April.
Regarding a possible modification, Representative Eduardo Gaitán, of the Vamos coalition, reacted. “Article 12 of the preferential interest law protects the homeowner after the benefit expires. We will be vigilant against any attempt to modify or eliminate it,” the representative stated on his X account.
Representative Patsy Lee of the Popular Party also did so. “[Law 468] was passed by the National Assembly with Article 12, which the banks didn’t like. We already know that if the banks don’t approve the law, the developers won’t sell. So, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MIVIOT) and the developers used the excuse that, since the new law took effect immediately after its enactment, 9,000 people would be left in the lurch,” Lee said on Instagram.
If Bill 289, which seeks to suspend Law 468, is approved, the previous preferential interest rate regime, established under Law 3 of 1985, would be reinstated and would be legally enforced until December 31, 2025.
Following a visit to the community of Arimae, Darien , a special mission reported evidence of excessive use of tear gas during protests that took place in this part of the country last week, the Ombudsman’s Office reported .
In a statement, it was noted that these gases left several impacts on the community and that the visit, which included personnel from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, lasted two days.
The Ombudsman’s Office announced that this visit will generate a report with the findings and testimonies from the community and authorities, gathered by the institution’s technical team.
Ombudsman Eduardo Leblanc recommends that authorities avoid entering communities if the roads have already been cleared.
Likewise, the public is urged to heed and verify information from formal media outlets about deaths or injuries to avoid falling victim to misinformation, which can fuel community discontent and escalate into acts of violence and confrontations.
Last Thursday, June 5, this sector experienced one of the most difficult days of protests. From early in the morning, residents faced intense clashes with members of the National Border Service (Senafront) and the National Police.
The protesters proceeded to block the Pan-American Highway, as a measure to reject Law 462, which reformed social security.
Several injuries were reported, both from the community and from the police and SENAFRONT officers. A fire was even reported at a palm frond ranch, an incident that is being investigated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition, the police reported the seizure of homemade bombs, known as Molotov cocktails.
After the European Commission recommended removing Panama from the list of countries at risk of money laundering on Tuesday, June 10 , two bodies still need to approve this exclusion for it to become a reality.
The European Council and the European Parliament must approve or object to this recommendation to remove Panama from the list within one month, which can be extended once. If approved, the Commission’s decision will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (EU).
“Only if the delegated act is not objected to within the established deadline, or if its approval is confirmed, will Panama’s exclusion become effective and it will no longer be part of the official high-risk list for the EU. Until then, Panama formally remains on that list,” commented economic consultant Luis Ocando.
Panama was removed from the list of high-risk countries by the European Commission after addressing several key concerns. One of the main concerns expressed by the European Parliament in its resolution of April 23, 2024, related to sanctions circumvention.
The European Commission has stated that combating sanctions circumvention is a key priority, and that a specific framework has been established to take action against those who facilitate such circumvention and undermine the effectiveness of the EU sanctions regime. In this context, the Commission has maintained active engagement with high-risk jurisdictions, according to the document released by the Commission on its recommendation.
Although the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) removed Panama from its list in October 2023, the European Union continued to consider the country a high-risk jurisdiction due to persistent strategic deficiencies, particularly regarding transparency of beneficial ownership. However, based on the information available, the Commission concluded that Panama had addressed these deficiencies . This progress was made possible thanks to the technical exchanges held since its inclusion on the EU list in October 2020.
After being removed from the FATF list, Panama submitted evidence to the Commission demonstrating its compliance with both the additional criteria established by the EU and the FATF action plan. The Commission assessed this documentation and shared its analysis with the European Parliament, the Council, and the Member States through the Group of Experts on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.
The exclusion proposal was based on improvements demonstrated by Panama in transparency regarding beneficial ownership. It is noted that, in particular, the country demonstrated that its competent authorities respond effectively to foreign cooperation requests, facilitating access to and exchange of basic information on the beneficial ownership of legal entities and legal instruments.
On the other hand, Ocando noted that the formal delivery of the delegated act by the European Commission to the European Parliament does not currently change Panama’s status with credit rating agencies. He emphasized that any possible change in the country’s rating will depend on the European Parliament’s final decision on whether or not to approve Panama’s removal from the list of high-risk countries for money laundering.