Third anniversary of disappeared man in Martinelli linked scandal

MONDAY NOV.16 marked the third anniversary of the abrupt disappearance of a man  whose investigation into  the Financial Pacific (FP) brokerage  opened a Pandora’s box of links to alleged crimes, including stock manipulation, money laundering stabbings, break ins and skulduggerry involving many public and business figures, and leading right to the Presidential Palace occupied at the time by Ricardo Martinelli.

The names of  President of Panama’s Supreme Court, Ayu Prado and former Tourism director and Martinelli confidant Salomon Shamah surfaced during investigations.

Many believe that the list of crimes include the murder of Vernon Ramos, the Superintendency of Securities official who went missing in the midst of his investigation into the brokerage house

His whereabouts remain a mystery and his family is frustrated with the situation, but against the oddsremain hopeful he is still alive.

On the day Ramos disappeared, he left his home in Chanis saying he was going for a walk. He was wearing shorts said goodbye to his son, saying, “Take care of your mom.”

He was never seen again.

Police have asked for help from investigators from the United States and the Netherlands, but no trace has been found of the missing official.

Ramos interviewed former FP official Mayte Pellegrini days before he went missing. She linked  Ricardo Martinelli to a secret account at FP that was allegedly used to trade shares of Petaquilla Minerals, a company that ran a gold mine in Panama that benefitted from decisions made by the former president.

Victor Ramos, brother of Vernon, made clear his frustration about the issue.

“At first we were shocked and dismayed, then we were very sad and filled with anger, but because his body was never found, we have a ray of hope that he is still alive,” Victor said.

Though he also knows there is a chance that they will never know what happened to him. reports La Prensa 

“Hope is the last thing you lose, but as time passes it becomes more apparent that there is no indication that clarifies what happened to my brother,” he said

The missing man’s boss Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Fabrega,who in court linked Martinelli and his circle to secret accounts  and said he was called to the Presidential Palace to receive instructions is serving a  five year jail term. The prosecution is appealing the sentence, asking for an eight year term.