News

Wednesday 13th November 2024.

November 12, 2024

Victor Orobio, lawyer for the deputy of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, Raúl Pineda , went to the facilities of the Supreme Court of Justice on Tuesday, November 12, to learn the details of the two investigations that are being carried out by that justice corporation, in which his client is allegedly linked to money laundering activities .

Orobio said there are two complaints against Pineda, one filed by former deputy Zulay Rodríguez and another that was sent last week by the Public Prosecutor’s Office .

He argued that both complaints should be archived, since the Public Prosecutor’s Office does not have the authority to wiretap a deputy, as the Court is the only one empowered by the Constitution to investigate and prosecute deputies.

He said he would ask the Court’s office which judge is responsible for handling both complaints and whether they would be combined into a single file.

Pineda is mentioned in the investigation into Operation Jericho , in which 37 people are accused, including Abraham Rico Pineda , the deputy’s son, who is being held in the La Nueva Joya penitentiary.

Last week, the Public Prosecutor’s Office sent to the Court the summary files containing the transcripts of the conversations held by Abraham Rico Pineda with people allegedly involved in the money laundering network, among whom is his father.

On the other hand, Orobio also referred to a process for the alleged commission of drug-related crimes against the deputy of Darién, Isaac Mosquera.

In the case of Mosquera, he said that his case is pending an appeal that should be resolved soon, in which Mosquera was acquitted in the first instance.

Yesterday, Congressman Mosquera himself appeared at the facilities of the Judicial Branch a few minutes after Orobio did.

Jaime Díaz , director of the Institute for the Training and Utilization of Human Resources (Ifarhu) , reported this Tuesday, November 12, that his team has filed five complaints with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate alleged irregularities in the procedures managed by the previous administration (2019-2024) to grant financial aid in a discretionary manner and in the financial management of the institution.

These will not be the only resources they will take to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. He promised that, as they continue investigating, they will continue filing complaints. Díaz responded to a question from independent deputy  Augusto Tuto Palacios during a session of the Budget Committee, where he requested transfers of $42 million to pay scholarships. Specifically, $3 million of the funds presented to the committee will be used to pay financial aid to Panamanian students.

The director of Ifarhu also explained that the complaints are not aimed at anyone in particular, but at whoever is responsible. He also stated that they are working to strengthen the aid department, which from now on, he said, will be awarded based on merit, whether academic or sporting.

The official repeatedly stated that they are collaborating with the Public Prosecutor’s Office in everything that is required. He admitted that the former director of Ifarhu, Ileana Molo, has visited the entity to sign documents that needed to be “corrected.”

During the previous government, Ifarhu was under the command of two directors: Bernardo Nando Meneses , who managed the institution until January 2023, and Ileana Molo, who took control of the entity from February 2023 until June 30 of this year. Both belong to the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), the ruling political group during the previous government.

Independent deputies Jeanine Prado and Alexandra Brenes, who appeared before the commission to ask questions to the head of Ifarhu, agreed that five complaints are not enough to cover all the anomalies detected during the previous administration.

The head of Ifarhu continued to answer multiple questions from the deputies. Minutes before 4:00 pm, the Budget Commission approved the transfers of funds totaling $42 million.

Nicaraguans Ebolsy Nicasio Jason and Antonio Alejandro Velazquez Agana, and Costa Rican Oscar Jesus Cano Morales, were sentenced to 10 years in prison each by the Panamanian justice system for the crime of international drug trafficking as perpetrators, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) reported on Tuesday.

The sentence imposed on the three men, aged 29, 44 and 49, respectively, was validated through a plea agreement at a hearing held in the central province of Veraguas, where the Judge of Guarantees who found the foreigners guilty also ordered the seizure of the boat where they were transporting the illicit substance, the MP indicated.

The three defendants were arrested by agents of the National Aeronautical Service (Senan) on November 10 after the boat in which they were traveling south of Jicarón Island, on the Pacific coast of Veraguas, was intercepted.

A drug shipment was found on the “suspicious vessel” which “upon verification, 2,276 packages of illicit substances were counted, of which 610 were cocaine, weighing 700.05 kilograms, and 1,666 packages of marijuana, weighing 1,174.15 kilograms,” stated a statement from the Prosecutor’s Office.

Panama is used as a bridge for drugs produced in South America that are mainly destined for the United States, the world’s largest consumer of cocaine, and also Europe.

In 2023, the Central American country seized a total of 119.2 tons, the vast majority of which was cocaine, according to data released by the Ministry of Public Security.

The Budget Committee of the National Assembly approved on Tuesday, November 12, a transfer of funds to the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning (Miviot) for an amount of $136.5 million, from funds from the Ministry of Education (Meduca) that were not managed at the time by the previous administration.

Of this amount, $132.3 million will correspond to the payment of 129 accounts at the national level , which cover a total of 34 contracts pending payment, explained the Minister of Housing, Jaime Jované, to the 13 deputies present at the Budget Commission.

One of these approved funds will be used to pay the company Consorcio Norberto Odebrecht, investigated in Panama for corruption and money laundering through the payment of bribes for the construction of infrastructure projects. The amount approved for the Urban Renewal project in the city of Colón amounts to $15.2 million.

Independent deputy Jonathan Vega, from the Vamos coalition , questioned Minister Jované about this payment, alleging that Odebrecht is one of the companies accused of corruption and that it has a debt with the country of $146 million, which has not been cancelled.

In response to these allegations, the head of Miviot explained to Vega that the entity is managing a payment that it is responsible for making; however, it is the responsibility of the Treasury Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to decide whether the funds will be transferred to the supplier or remain in the State.

Vega expressed his concern about the lack of security that this company will allocate this money to the Panamanian State. In addition, he asked the MEF to formalize, through a note to the Budget Commission, the total amount that Odebrecht owes the State and the cost of the projects for which outstanding payments must be made.

For his part, independent deputy Roberto Zuñiga also questioned the payment to Odebrecht, pointing out that he finds it unsatisfactory to pay a company that has caused so much harm to the country. He recalled the case of Terminal 2 of Tocumen Airport, which is currently experiencing problems and whose cost exceeded $900 million.

The pension reform recommended by the Executive proposes important changes for self-employed workers.

• According to the current regulations, self-employed workers can contribute based on a minimum total income of $800 per month.
• One important change is that the bill does not mention a minimum income requirement. This implies that workers, regardless of their monthly income, could make contributions to their pension.
• This measure aims to expand the contributor base of the Social Security Fund (CSS).
• As regards self-employed workers, a 48% discount is applied to their total income when making contributions. This means that contributions to the pension system are made on 52% of their total income. This remains the same in the draft reforms.

• Under the current system, if the worker declared $800, the contributions specifically earmarked for retirement would be calculated on $416. This remains the case, in terms of the base used as a starting point.
• The fee that should be paid after the reform is 18% of the $416, that is, $74.88 each month.
• Self-employed workers would contribute 18%, that is, a little more than half of their income, which means that their contribution is equivalent to the 9.75% that is applied to all salaried workers on their total salaries.

• Under the current law, the rate paid by independents is 22%.
• This rate is calculated as follows: 13.5% of income with a 48% deduction applied to the pension program and 8.5% of total declared income applied to the Health and Maternity program. It is important to note that the calculation base (income net of deduction and total income) for each program is different.
• In this case, if the worker declares the $800, he pays $68 for medical coverage, plus $56.16 for pension. This makes a total of $124.16 per month.

• Under the reform, the Sickness and Maternity program will be optional for self-employed workers.
• If the worker opts for this coverage, he or she must contribute an additional 8.5% of his or her declared income.
• That is, 18% of the contribution for IVM (which is made on 52% of the total income) and 8.5% of 100% of the total income for the sickness and maternity program. This represents an increase, in case it is decided to make contributions to both systems.
• The contribution would go from $124.16 to $142.88. The increase is well below what a person would have to pay for private health insurance.
• According to what has been explained so far, this is necessary for the pension to be viable and to reach appropriate replacement rates.

NOTE: If you are a self-employed worker, use the calculations referred to in this article to determine the contributions you would have to make if the reforms are approved as presented.

More articles