News
Wednesday 28th May 2025.
May 27, 2025
The Second Specialized Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime raided the headquarters of the Suntracs, RL Multiple Services cooperative this morning as part of the investigation into fraud, money laundering, and document forgery.
Antonio Vargas, from the legal team of the Single Union of Construction and Similar Workers (Suntracs) , confirmed that the proceeding was carried out this Tuesday.
Vargas explained that the cooperative is operating, as a reconsideration appeal was filed against the decision of the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative Institute (IPACOOP) to suspend its operations.
The prosecutor’s office is gathering documents and information about transactions made by Suntracs related to funds linked to the delivery of $3 million by the company Pillar Construcción as part of an out-of-court settlement to resolve a labor dispute arising from the construction of the Red Frogs Beach Club development on Bastimento Island in Bocas del Toro.
In this case, the prosecutor’s office is investigating the alleged involvement of Suntracs leaders Genaro López, Erasmo Cerrud, and Saúl Méndez.
The prosecutor’s office has already charged López in this case, while the police are offering a $5,000 reward for Cerrud’s whereabouts. Méndez, meanwhile, is taking refuge in the Bolivian Embassy in Panama.
Vargas claimed that these actions are part of the persecution against Suntracs.
Eight years in prison. That was the sentence imposed by the First Criminal Court on Iván Clare , West Valdés , Mayté Pellegrini, and Oscar Rodríguez, all former directors of the now-defunct Financial Pacific brokerage firm . The ruling, signed by Judge Agueda Rentería, holds them responsible for the crime of aggravated fraud against the foreign bank Caye International Bank, Ltd.
The decision, notified through Edict No. 575, also establishes an additional sanction: the four convicted individuals will be barred from holding public office for the duration of their sentences, once they have served their prison terms.
This judicial chapter dates back to April 2024, when prosecutor Nivia Magaly Lorenzo formally requested a conviction during the trial, after asserting that the evidence was conclusive: those involved participated in fraudulent schemes to induce Caye Bank to transfer funds to an account at Financial Pacific, which operated outside the regulations of the Superintendency of the Securities Market (SMV).
Although the judge had initially only called Mayté Pellegrini to trial, the Superior Court for the Settlement of Criminal Cases overturned that decision and ordered Clare, Valdés, and Rodríguez to be included in the proceedings.
The history of Financial Pacific is a persistent stain on the memory of the Panamanian financial system. At one time, the brokerage firm was the center of scandals due to irregular management and shady operations, until it was taken over and finally liquidated.
But the saga didn’t end there. In November 2024, the same Judge Rentería ordered the reopening of an investigation into alleged money laundering linked to the company’s activities, following the revelation of a SMV report that pointed to suspicious transactions.
Thus, the Financial Pacific case continues to write pages in the courts, while its protagonists face the consequences of a scheme that still resonates in the country’s financial sector.
Former representative of the Campana district, Nelson Anel García Sánchez , was arrested by authorities on Tuesday after being accused of stealing public documents from the Communal Board .
During an operation called “Camana ,” the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Panama Oeste raided García Sánchez’s residence and found a laptop believed to belong to the Community Board, as well as several payment receipts.
The investigation against the former representative began on July 17, 2024, when the current representative, Gabriel Tuñón, received the keys to the Communal Board and noticed the lack of public documentation, including payment receipts, project execution documents, and records of donations to individuals.
He was due to be brought before the Court of Guarantees for the respective hearings on requests for legalization of arrest, indictment, and application of precautionary measures,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office stated.
Commercial flights between Panama and Venezuela resumed this Tuesday after a ten-month suspension due to the diplomatic conflict generated by the Panamanian government’s rejection of the results of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential elections, which it considered fraudulent, although diplomatic relations between the two countries remain on hold.
At Tocumen International Airport, Panama’s main airport and a major hub for air connections, there was an influx of passengers traveling to Caracas on the Venezuelan airline Estelar or the Panamanian airline Copa, according to EFE .
The Estelar flight was scheduled for 1:00 p.m. local time (6:00 p.m. GMT) while the Copa Airlines flight was scheduled for 2:46 p.m. local time (7:46 p.m. GMT), according to information screens at the Panamanian airport.
Copa Airlines will currently fly to and from the Venezuelan capital at least once a day, starting May 27th, and will add a second daily flight starting June 23rd.
Flights between Panama and Venezuela have been suspended since July 31, a measure that was also applied to the Dominican Republic, a Central American country frequently used by passengers for connecting flights due to the limited supply of direct flights to and from the South American nation.
Nicolás Maduro made the decision after his Panamanian counterpart, José Raúl Mulino, suspended diplomatic relations following his reelection in an election that was described as “fraudulent” due to the electoral body’s failure to present the supporting documents.
The governments of Panama and the Dominican Republic, as well as those of Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Peru, had expressed their deep concern about the presidential elections and demanded a full review of the results that declared Maduro the winner.
Despite the resumption of air connections, there is no news regarding these relations between the two countries, as Mulino recalled last Thursday at his press conference, where he admitted that “it is in Panama’s best interest to open commercial flights with Venezuela” and that he needs the South American country to “help” transport Venezuelan migrants returning from North America after their attempt to enter the United States was thwarted.
Hours after that statement, Panama’s Civil Aviation Authority announced the “resumption of air operations” between the Central American country and Venezuela, and the Venezuelan government also authorized the resumption of commercial flights.
The four-year-old girl who suffered a severe blow to the head during a protest on the grounds of the University of Panama was discharged today after receiving specialized medical care at the High Complexity Pediatric Hospital of the City of Health, administered by the Social Security Fund (CSS) . According to specialists, the minor should not experience any long-term physical or psychological after-effects.
The incident occurred on May 8, when the girl was hit by a rock thrown by hooded individuals, causing a skull fracture. Despite the severity of the impact, which damaged the frontal bone and internal structures of the brain, the child was immediately treated by a multidisciplinary team.
Emir De Gracia , head of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital , explained that, thanks to proper medical management, the girl is not expected to suffer permanent physical scars or emotional after-effects.
“There shouldn’t be any physical scars or emotional scars, God willing, on the girl,” the specialist emphasized, adding that the minor remains under the care of a psychiatric team.
The girl was initially admitted with severe head trauma, with an injury that compressed the internal structures of the brain and blood vessels. After initial treatment, imaging studies, including a CT scan and X-rays, confirmed the diagnosis and allowed surgery to proceed. During this process, the depressed fracture was reconstructed using special prostheses donated for the procedure.
De Gracia thanked all the hospital’s healthcare staff and the CSS and National Government authorities , who collaborated to ensure that the girl could receive the best care and achieve a speedy recovery.
“We are satisfied, very happy with these results,” said the doctor, who celebrated the girl’s smile upon being discharged after days of hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) .
Fortunately, the girl will be able to return home and continue with her life, with no future complications expected from the incident. However, she was told she will need to return to the hospital in the coming days for a checkup and removal of the stitches.
The so-called “Wounded Flag ,” considered one of the first physical symbols of Panama’s independence, has begun a historic journey: it will be restored at the Spanish Institute of Cultural Heritage (IPCE), one of the most prestigious organizations in the conservation of heritage assets.
This was confirmed by the Ministry of Culture when it announced the transfer of the emblem to Europe, with the goal of restoring its physical integrity.
Presumably made of silk and damaged by the passage of time, the flag was first raised by the people of Chitré during the separatist movement of 1903. According to oral tradition, it was pierced by a celebratory gunshot, giving it the name it has gone down in history with: the “Wounded Flag .” Despite its deterioration—only 3% of its original structure remains—its symbolic meaning remains intact.
For more than a century, this piece of cloth has survived as a testament to a revolution that was not confined to history books. Its hoisting in Chitré, after receiving the secret order “Matea has arrived,” symbolized the victory of the Panamanian independence movement. Its image was replicated in several provinces as a sign of support for the separatist cause that would give rise to the Republic.
The restoration process in Spain will take approximately 18 months. According to the Minister of Culture, María Eugenia Herrera, the treatment will include technical analysis, material stabilization, museum conservation, and specialized documentation. The flag is expected to return to Panama in late 2026, where it will be displayed in optimal preservation conditions.