News
Wednesday 26th February 2025.
February 25, 2025
The Ministry of Environment (MiAmbiente) approved the environmental impact study (EIA) , category II, for the construction of a breakwater and a private marina on 2.3 hectares of seabed in front of Flamenco Island , at the entrance to the Panama Canal , in favor of Amador Marina, SA
The project is linked to Louis Sola , president of the Federal Maritime Commission ( FMC ) of the United States and star witness at the hearing called at the end of January by Republican Senator Ted Cruz on the alleged “foreign influence” in the Panama Canal.
At the hearing, Sola openly defended his family’s investment in Amador and even took credit for bringing cruise companies to Panama.
The EIA was approved three months after Sola made an official visit to Panama , an opportunity he took to participate in a meeting at the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in which the compatibility of the Amador Marina project was discussed, a company in which his children Carolyn and Anthony appear as directors and dignitaries.
On that occasion, Sola, as commissioner of the FMC, was received at the Presidency of the Republic by the ruler José Raúl Mulino and other high officials, such as the Minister of the Environment, Juan Carlos Navarro .
On March 6, 2024 , Amador Marina submitted its EIA for the seabed area and MiAmbiente granted the approval on October 30. In the meantime, Sola and the FMC delegation visited Panama from July 29 to August 1, 2024.
This is the second EIA approved by MiAmbiente for the development of the project on Flamenco Island, where the construction of office buildings, restaurants, shopping malls, warehouses, a breakwater, a multipurpose dock and, eventually, a port for cruise ships is planned.
Previously, in 2022, the ministry approved the use of 3,000 square meters on dry land.
None of these EIAs contemplates the development of a port for deep-draft vessels. If Amador Marina intends to receive cruise ships, it will have to submit a new study.
La Prensa tried to interview Navarro, but although he promised to make an appointment on January 22, he never did.
The draft reform of the Law on Preferential Interests, which establishes a subsidy for the acquisition of housing, will be presented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning (Miviot) to the Cabinet Council on Tuesday, February 25.
The Minister of Economy, Felipe Chapman, confirmed the presentation of the reform of the law on preferential interest rates to the Cabinet Council.
He announced a debt repayment plan to banks, for nearly 200 million dollars in tax credits that arise once they grant mortgage loans with preferential interest rates.
The Executive’s proposal aims to reduce both the duration of the subsidy, which is granted through a discount on the interest rate of mortgage loans, and the maximum value of the homes that can benefit from this program.
One of the Government’s proposals is to establish that preferential financing be approved for housing of up to $100,000 and to set three discount tranches in interest rates for a period ranging from 5 to 10 years. However, there is also a proposal to maintain the benefit up to $120,000, although this will depend on financial availability, given that the State’s budget is limited, according to MEF spokesmen.
There is also the possibility that the time per section varies between 6, 7 and 8 years depending on the price of the homes.
Part of the proposal was presented by the Minister of Housing, Jaime Jované, last Friday, February 21, in a meeting with representatives of the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (Capac), housing developers from the interior of the country and the National Council of Housing Developers (Convivienda).
Real estate market representatives have indicated to the Government the need to maintain coverage for homes up to $120,000.
Capac President Alejandro Ferrer Solís said it is necessary to establish a transition mechanism to reactivate preferential mortgage loans and, in turn, to revitalize housing construction, since there are more than 75 projects at a standstill.
“If a new law is approved, an analysis must be made of how to implement a transition system between one legislation and another, depending on the benefits established. The aim is to keep the deadlines as they are until the current legislation expires,” said Ferrer Solís.
He noted that if someone buys a property before the current law expires, i.e. in December 2025, they will be eligible for the benefits already in place, such as financing for homes up to $120,000. He also detailed the current discount rates:
- 4% for 10 years for homes between $40,000 and $80,000.
- 4% for 8 years for homes valued over $80,000 and up to $120,000.
The president of Capac explained that the current law establishes that processes for the acquisition of homes that have occupation permits approved until August 2025 and whose last disbursement of the credit is made before the end of 2025 may benefit from the preferential interest.
“What we are seeking is to maintain this benefit during the transition to the new law,” he stressed.
The judge of guarantees of the Second Judicial District (Coclé and Veraguas), Anayansi Vásquez, charged five people for their alleged participation in the murder and kidnapping of the American citizen Randall Leigh Stettmeir Tilly and the pilot Armando Eliécer Pittí . Their bodies were found on October 30, 2021, near the Chico River, in Natá, Coclé province.
Judge Vásquez ordered the arrest of four of the suspects, while the fifth defendant was ordered to be notified on the 15th and 30th of each month.
On October 24, 2021, Stettmeir Tilly, owner of the fumigation company FABSA, and his pilot, Armando Eliécer Pittí, left Chiriquí for Soná, in the province of Veraguas, together with his partner Ruth Saucedo, with the purpose of carrying out fumigation.
However, they never reached their destination. Days later, their relatives received a call demanding payment of $200,000 for their release. On October 30, 2021, the bodies of Stettmeir Tilly and Miranda were found near the Chico River, in Natá. Hours earlier, authorities found Ruth Saucedo in Capellanía, also in Natá, with multiple stab wounds.
At the hearing held on Monday, Judge Vásquez also charged the five defendants with attempted murder and criminal association. This hearing had been postponed for several months due to a conflict of jurisdiction between the courts of guarantees of Coclé and Chiriquí.
According to investigations by the Coclé Homicide and Femicide Prosecutor’s Office, the defendants, including two women, were not the perpetrators of the double murder, but they did collaborate in the kidnapping of the victims.
In a separate event held in Coclé, three of the defendants reached a plea agreement with the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime for the crime of kidnapping.
Stettmeir Tilly, who had been living in the province of Chiriquí for several years, owned a helicopter with which he carried out fumigation work. Miranda, for his part, was his trusted pilot.
Authorities believe the kidnapping was orchestrated by a criminal network operating in Panama City and with branches in Chiriquí. The perpetrators of the double homicide are still being sought.
“Friendly Fire” was one of the words used by the mayor of the district of Panama, Mayer Mizrachi, in an indirect response to the complaint filed by the vice mayor, Roberto Ruiz Díaz , on February 24 before the Public Ministry.
“For 5 months I have been receiving criticism and political attacks, including friendly fire (…). They are attacking me and my team, trying to discredit us . More can be expected from this, from a deputy mayor to a lawyer and a deputy,” Mizrachi said in a video posted on his X account.
Ruiz Díaz filed a criminal complaint for the alleged commission of the crime of usurpation of public functions against Alejandro Miranda , who served as campaign advisor to Mayor Mayer Mizrachi.
According to the deputy mayor, Miranda, a US citizen, actively participates in board meetings and gives instructions to the entity’s suppliers without being duly appointed.
Ruiz Díaz insists that Alejandro Miranda ‘s position should be covered by a legal relationship within the Municipality so that he himself could continue to participate in meetings and activities typical of municipal public officials.
On the other hand, Mizrachi referred to the departure of the deputy mayor from the Municipality. “They underestimated what we were going to be able to do, even the deputy mayor. When he left, he underestimated what we were going to be able to do [in the Municipality].”
In October 2024, Vice Mayor Roberto Ruiz Díaz decided to resign from his position as Secretary General of the Municipality of Panama. At that time, he posted a video on social media in which he said that he decided to step aside because he considered that “the job was not being done well.”
Subsequently, on January 21, the Panama City Council accepted a request submitted by Ruiz Díaz to be granted unpaid leave from the position of deputy mayor of the District of Panama.
Panamanian airline Copa Airlines will increase its air connections to the United States with a new destination starting June 25 of this year.
This is the city of San Diego, California, where it will operate four weekly flights from Panama City, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
With this destination, Copa Airlines will now serve 17 cities in the United States, three of which are in California: Los Angeles, San Francisco and soon San Diego.
“The opening of this new route strengthens the network of destinations and expands travel options for our passengers, confirming Copa’s commitment to efficiency, punctuality and high service standards that distinguish us. With San Diego, we facilitate connectivity between Southern California and Central and South America and the Caribbean, promoting tourism and trade on the continent,” said Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Airlines.
San Diego is a destination filled with cultural diversity, quality of life, and a thriving food and music scene.
“Its beaches and theme parks make it an attractive destination for both tourists and residents of the region. Among its main attractions are Coronado Beach, famous for its white sand and the historic Hotel del Coronado, and La Jolla Cove, a bay surrounded by cliffs where sea lions live and where you can admire some of the best views of the Pacific Ocean. In addition, the San Diego Zoo, recognized as one of the best in the world, and the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, with its colonial architecture and gastronomic offering, reflect the cultural and historical wealth of the city,” the airline highlighted.
Flight CM847 to San Diego, which will begin on June 25 and operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, will depart from Tocumen International Airport in Panama at 1:16 p.m. (local time) and arrive at San Diego International Airport at 6:15 p.m. (local time). While the return flight CM850 will depart on the same days from San Diego at 8:58 p.m. (local time) and arrive in Panama City at 5:20 a.m. (local time).