News
Wednesday 12th February 2025.
February 11, 2025
More officials have been added to the list of alleged cases of nepotism at the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (Unachi). There are a total of 90 public servants notified to the National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Antai) as of February 11.
The list of officials who have alleged family ties with other members of the educational institution has been growing since Antai announced the start of investigations into the staff on December 26, 2024. On that occasion, the start of the verification of the family tree of 55 officials was announced .
In less than two months of investigations (January-February 2025), Antai has added 35 new officials to the first report of 55.
“I have 90 people under investigation for the possible crime of nepotism. I received information, within the file, that four had been dismissed. Unachi itself dismissed them ,” said Sheyla Castillo, director of Antai, regarding the investigations.
However, he specified that the entity is responsible for identifying crimes and violations of the Code of Ethics of public servants , following a procedure. “I do not want cases to be dropped due to lack of management of the process,” he explained.
More nepotism?
Castillo explained that there are other cases of alleged misdemeanors and crimes by public servants, but that the Unachi case is the one that draws the most attention due to the number of officials involved.
The rector of Unachi herself, Etelvina de Bonagas , has captured national attention for various accusations about her management, questioned for salary increases, the alleged hiring of relatives or her own re-election in the entity.
On the other hand, in January alone, Antai received nearly 160 complaints for various alleged crimes, according to Castillo, among which are failure to comply with the work schedule and the use of state resources for personal benefit , Castillo indicated.
He also indicated that there are other cases of nepotism in the public administration, but he did not provide details about them.
In a ruling that sets an important precedent, the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) decided to side with Edilma Iturriaga, an official of the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (Idaan), who had been dismissed from her position in July 2024.
The SCJ not only ordered that Iturriaga be reinstated in her position, but also that she be paid the wages she did not receive during the entire time she was away from the entity.
Edilma Iturriaga, who worked as deputy commercial manager at the Veraguas Regional Directorate, was removed from her position on July 16, 2024 by an administrative resolution issued by the executive director of Idaan. At that time, the highest authority of the entity was Juan Antonio Ducruet , who was replaced by Rutilio Villareal.
However, Iturreaga filed an action for protection of fundamental guarantees, alleging that his dismissal violated his constitutional guarantees. After several months of waiting, the SCJ ruled in his favor and on January 2, ruled in his favor. However, the news was announced on Tuesday, February 11, through a press release from the Judicial Branch.
What did the Court decide?
- Immediate reinstatement : Edilma Iturriaga must return to her position as assistant commercial manager at Idaan.
- Payment of back wages : The Court ordered that she be paid the $2,000 per month that she stopped receiving from the day of her dismissal until her reinstatement is finalized. This means that Idaan must compensate her for all the months in which she was out of office.
Compliance judge José Cárdenas granted the payment of a fine of $12,000 in favor of Silvana Manzini de Obarrio as a replacement for the 28-month prison sentence that had been imposed on her for the crimes of money laundering and unjustified enrichment.
During a hearing that began at 2:00 pm and ended at 3:38 pm, the judge accepted the petition presented by Eduardo Sequeira, defense attorney for the sanctioned party, which was not objected to by the anti-corruption compliance prosecutor, Johaira González.
Sequeira argued that his client met the legal requirements for the prison sentence imposed to be replaced by a fine that he must pay to the National Treasury.
During his speech, Sequeira explained that his client was a first-time offender, had no criminal record and had reached a plea agreement with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which was validated by the First Liquidation Court of Criminal Cases.
The judge ordered Manzini de Obarrio to pay the $12,000 within a year and that, in case of non-compliance, he must serve the prison sentence imposed.
Judge Cárdenas also imposed a ban on leaving the country, which will remain in effect until the fine is paid.
During the hearing, Judge Cárdenas also reduced the original sentence of 48 months imposed on Manzini de Obarrio, since the time she spent in preventive detention was discounted, in addition to the precautionary measures of prohibition of leaving the country and periodic notification that were applied to her during the process, leaving a net sentence of 28 months in prison.
On November 20, 2024, the First Liquidation Court of Criminal Cases sentenced the defendant to 48 months in prison for unjustified enrichment and money laundering, after validating a sentencing agreement reached with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Descarga.
The investigation against Manzini de Obarrio and his son, Adolfo de Obarrio, for money laundering has as a precedent crime unjustified enrichment. This process began after an audit by the Comptroller General of the Republic, which revealed that Adolfo de Obarrio could not justify $3 million in his assets.
As part of this investigation, the prosecution ordered the seizure of two properties belonging to De Obarrio located in Punta Barco and San Carlos, in West Panama, as well as two other properties in the district of San Francisco.
Adolfo de Obarrio, currently residing in Italy, never appeared in this process or in the one related to the purchase of dehydrated food for $44.5 million, managed through the defunct National Aid Program during the government of Ricardo Martinelli (2014-2019).
The use of body cameras by the National Police will be a formal tool following the approval in the third debate of Bill 90 in the National Assembly .
Although these devices have been in operation since 2020, the new provision establishes their mandatory nature and establishes their application in certain police actions.
The bill stipulates that cameras must be used in actions such as maintaining and restoring public order, responding to emergencies, and carrying out security and surveillance operations.
It also stipulates their use in traffic supervision, enforcement of the Traffic Law, compliance with court orders, mediations and situations requiring the use of force. Another aspect that is highlighted is that the recordings cannot be edited or deleted, in order to guarantee their authenticity.
It also establishes that officers will be obliged to notify citizens when they are being recorded ; however, it will not be necessary to obtain their consent to begin filming. The captured material may be used in the preparation of reports and in judicial proceedings.
In a report published on Monday, Bank of America highlighted that since Panama assumed full control of the Canal in 1999, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has achieved significant growth.
He recalled that with an investment of 5.25 billion dollars, initiated in 2008 and culminating with the inauguration of the Neo Panamax locks in 2016, the Canal’s capacity has doubled. In 2024, the ACP recorded the transit of the largest container ship to date, with a capacity of 17,640 TEUs.
He acknowledged that over the past 25 years, the ACP has invested US$15 billion, of which US$10 billion has been allocated to capital expenditures and US$5 billion to operations and maintenance. Furthermore, since 2014, it has contributed nearly US$20 billion to the National Treasury through tolls, utility rates and profit sharing. Currently, the ACP employs more than 8,700 Panamanians.
“Strong, efficient and profitable: who wouldn’t want to own the Panama Canal?” the report says.
He explained that Ricaurte Vásquez, administrator of the Canal, recently highlighted the operational performance of the ACP and responded to the concerns of the new United States government regarding the ownership and administration of the Canal.
He stressed that the ACP is an autonomous and apolitical entity that operates independently of the Panamanian government. Its main objective is to guarantee safe, efficient and continuous transit for international trade. No foreign country, including China, “has control over the Canal.”
Thanks to this management, the ACP has a higher credit rating than the Republic of Panama itself, with an evaluation of A3/BBB+/WD compared to Baa3/BBB-/BB+.
An 80-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy died on Tuesday, February 11, after a fire broke out in a residence in El Dorado , very close to the Los Ángeles Industrial development in Betania.
This was confirmed by Ángel Delgado , a colonel of the Panama Fire Department. He explained that, upon arrival, the house was “completely burned down.” They immediately proceeded to search for three people: two young people, one aged 20 and the other 16, and an elderly person.
The 16-year-old boy and the man were taken from the house in critical condition. CPR was performed on them at the scene, but only the elderly man managed to reach the Betania clinic, where he later died.
Personnel from the Public Ministry arrived at the site to begin an investigation into the events.
Delgado reported that five pets were rescued from the residence and two from adjacent homes.
The fire has already been brought under control. The first vehicle to arrive was from the Carrasquilla station, while the Calidonia and Plaza Amador stations came to provide support to supply water and reinforce the extinguishing efforts.
Approximately 16 firefighters were called to the area to extinguish the fire.
Through Executive Decree No. 114 , dated August 20, 2024, the Ministry of Education (Meduca) made the 2025 school calendar official for public and private educational centers.
The school year will begin on Monday, March 10, and end on Thursday, December 19, 2025, with a total of 43 weeks of classes.
Before the start of the school year, the school organization week will take place, from Monday, February 24 to Friday, March 7, 2025, a period in which educational institutions will be able to make the necessary adjustments to guarantee an adequate start to the school year.
The Consumer Protection and Competition Authority (Acodeco) reminded that school supplies, books and uniforms included in the official list are exempt from paying the 7% Tax on Transfer of Movable Goods and Services (ITBMS) throughout the year.
Businesses must visibly display the list of exempt items,