News
Wednesday 31st July 2024.
July 30, 2024
The Comptroller General’s Office (CGR) ignored most of the audit requests sent to it by the Public Prosecutor’s Office between 2020 and May 2024.
This is stated in a statistical report from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which details that, between January 2020 and May 2024 , 235 audit requests were sent to the Comptroller General of the Republic , of which 17 were opened in a timely manner and only four of them were “effective” in achieving convictions.
The report, signed by attorney Javier Caraballo , is in response to a note sent to him by Ernesto Cedeño , a deputy for the Movimiento Otro Camino party, with several questions.
The document mentions that the Public Prosecutor’s Office had to close some 38 cases due to the failure to submit the audits requested by the Comptroller’s Office, and that 16 investigations have been dismissed due to the lack of the required audits.
In the note, dated July 25 of this year , Caraballo clarifies that in crimes against public administration there is a plurality of evidence that can determine the commission of the criminal act and the responsibility of its author, and that it does not only depend on the result of the audit report to achieve a conviction.
The Comptroller General, Gerardo Solís , not only ignored audit requests from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, but also from the Office of the Public Prosecutor. A statistical report from the Office of the Public Prosecutor states that, between January 2020 and May 2024, 52 audit requests were sent to the Comptroller General’s Office, but only four of them were opened.
In the midst of this scenario, Cedeño requested this Monday, July 29, in the plenary session of the National Assembly that the possibility of criminally denouncing the comptroller be evaluated for not fulfilling his role as overseer of public funds.
“The comptroller’s poor cooperation is horrible,” said the deputy.
Solís’ administration has been characterized by refusing to conduct audits, failing to investigate, and hiding names in official records. For example, the Comptroller’s Office hid more than 50% of the beneficiaries of financial aid provided by the Institute for the Training and Utilization of Human Resources.
Added to this are the consequences of Law 351 of 2022 , which modifies the organic law of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (previously established by Law 32 of 1984), which continues to be perceived as an obstacle in the battle against corruption. This regulation was challenged by the Foundation for the Development of Citizen Freedom in April 2023, a legal recourse that was admitted that same year.
Among other setbacks, the law grants the Comptroller General’s Office discretion not to carry out audits or investigations requested by the Accounting Jurisdiction or the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and grants almost absolute powers to the Comptroller General, which may lead to arbitrariness
The minutes of the cabinet councils corresponding to the period 2019-2024, five years in which Laurentino Cortizo was the president of Panama, are now available on the website of the Presidency of the Republic: https://www.presidencia.gob.pa/pagina/actas-del-consejo-de-gabinete .
The digital site will also contain the minutes of the current government administration. For the moment, the minutes of July 9 are available, but according to a statement from the State Communications Directorate, “the minutes of the next meetings will be added,” as promised by President José Raúl Mulino.
On July 9, just days after assuming office, Mulino announced that he would repeal Cabinet Resolution No. 71 of August 4, 2021 , which declared those minutes restricted for a period of 10 years. The controversial document was signed by José Gabriel Carrizo, who served as Minister of the Presidency at the time. It was also endorsed by Carlos García , the Vice Minister of the Presidency at the time.
Carrizo and García argued this decision in Article 14 of Law 6 of 2002 (transparency law) which states that all information will be restricted access, “when so declared by the competent official, in accordance with this law.” The same article says that the information cannot be disclosed for 10 years, counting from its classification as restricted access.
The veil on the minutes was the subject of multiple criticisms by representatives of different sectors of the country. In fact, this chapter marked an important event in the transparency and access to information policy of the previous government.
The Civil Aeronautical Authority of Panama reported that as of 8:00 pm this Wednesday, July 31, commercial flights to and from Venezuela will be temporarily suspended.
“This measure also applies to general aviation aircraft with Venezuelan registration that wish to enter Panamanian territory until a clear mechanism is established with the National Institute of Civil Aviation of Venezuela, where it is determined how to request, the processing time and approval of landing permits in each country,” the statement said.
The Nicolás Maduro regime had announced a similar measure on the night of Monday, July 29, through the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics of Venezuela, indicating that the decision was taken in rejection of the interference of these countries in Venezuelan sovereignty.
Panamanian airline Copa Airlines operates flights to five destinations in Venezuela: Caracas, Valencia, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto and Barcelona.
On the Venezuelan side, some flights are operated by Venezolana de Aviación and Turpial. Occasionally, some Conviasa charters operate on a shared route with Nicaragua.
It has been learned that some travel agencies are handling flexible changes to some of the tickets.
Last Monday, July 28, the government of Panama decided to suspend diplomatic relations with Venezuela until a complete review of the minutes and the computer system of the vote count is carried out that “allows to know the genuine popular will” in the electoral process of July 28.
In a statement, the airline announced that it is relaxing its measures to provide support to passengers with flights scheduled to and from Venezuela on the date after the measure announced by the transport authorities of that country.
In this regard, they indicated that the following alternatives will be allowed:
- A change of date and/or a change of origin/destination within the same region without additional charges.
- Cancellation of the trip while maintaining the ticket value in credit for a future travel date.
- Refund of unused and partially used tickets . You can manage your request at www.copaair.com
Regarding the latter option, Copa Airlines has informed that, due to the volume of passengers affected by this measure, the refund process will take longer than usual.
“Copa Airlines reaffirms its commitment to the safety and well-being of its passengers, and will therefore take all steps within its power to reduce the impact of this measure on their travel plans.
The plenary session of the Electoral Tribunal (TE) dismissed the appeal filed by former deputy Zulay Rodríguez against the decision of the Second Administrative Electoral Court to reject a challenge against the proclamation of Luis Omar Ortega , of the Realizing Goals party, as deputy of circuit 8-2 that corresponds to San Miguelito.
Through edict No. 114-2024S-G −posted this Tuesday, July 31 in the TE secretariat and with the report of magistrate Alfredo Juncá− the plenary session of this institution decided not to accept the appeal presented by Rodríguez, who requested the holding of new elections in circuit 8-2, after alleging inconsistencies in the count carried out at voting tables 4672, 4682, 4757, 4815, 4818, 4894, 4902, 4916 and 5114.
The ruling by the TE magistrates confirms the decision of the second administrative electoral judge, Edmara Lizbeth Jaén, who dismissed in the first instance the challenge filed by Rodríguez. The judge considered that it was evident that in the challenged voting tables “there were no situations that really led to changing the result of the election” and, consequently, the proclamation of the candidate Luis Omar Ortega is confirmed.
Luis Eduardo Camacho , a member of the Realizing Goals (RM) party , presented a legislative proposal that modifies the Penal and Criminal Procedure Codes in relation to amnesty, reduced sentences, pardons and the granting of conditional reductions, among others.
According to the initiative promoted by Camacho, the pardon is a cause of extinction of the criminal action and the penalty. According to what the deputy read in the plenary session, it is of an “individual nature.” The President of the Republic in office, he added, will have the power to decide if the situation is of a political nature.
“The most important thing about this draft law is the definition that is up to us, the National Assembly, not the Judicial Branch, because although the magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice have legislative initiative, they cannot legislate through their rulings,” he said.
Camacho added that it will be considered a political crime when the following situations occur:
- Judicial, electoral or administrative sanction imposed for acts related to or derived from the political participation of the person, or when through such actions the right to elect and be elected has been impeded.
- When the sanction, persecution or prosecution of the action taken against a citizen has been carried out directly or indirectly in political situations of media pressure, where prosecution or actions of influence by some State power body other than the judiciary are appreciated.
- When, in accordance with the provisions of conventions approved by Panama, the status of political persecution of the accused, tried or sentenced person has been recognized or declared by international organizations (…). When in the case of political asylum, an asylum-granting center considers that the figure of political crime is being considered, as currently defined by the Montevideo Convention on Political Crime.
The deputy of circuit 8-2, San Miguelito, asked his colleagues that when analyzing his draft law, they do so conscientiously and away from “media pressures” and “pressures from economic interests that have their own agenda.”
Camacho describes himself as the “faithful friend” of former President Ricardo Martinelli , who is seeking asylum in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama to avoid a sentence of more than 10 years in prison for the New Business case.