Corruption charges against 8 in public prosecutor’s office

The network of drug smuggling related corruption in Panama's Public Ministry (PM), responsible for criminal prosecutions has led to charges  being  filed against eight people.

Only one has been arrested and seven are listed as fugitives, of which two were last reported as being in Europe.

The Assistant Attorney General Angel Calderon has filed charges of  corruption against in eight of  ten people investigated after the release of four men being investigated for drug trafficking and money laundering. Included in the investigation is he son of Nedelka Diaz, secretary of the attorney General's Office.

The prosecutor said , statements have been taken from 15 people, reports have been solicited from the drug prosection office of Drug Herrera and LosSantos.

Seven raids have been made to try to find fugitives: Attorney for the four men, Jose Alcibiades Ballesteros, the former head of HumanResources of the Public Prosecutor Eva Lorentz, Miguel Angel Castillo Peralta, George A. Guillen, Miguel Angel Castillo Domínguez and Abelino Rios.

The prosecutor has also called for the removal from office of Diaz.
The only person arrested so far is former prosecutor Milagros Valdés.
to determine the possible payment of $ 450 000 for the release of four men involved in the case of a plane found with traces of drugs in Los Santos.

The investigation was initiated by a police report indentifying a network of arms trafficking, drugs and people on the beaches of Monagre, La Hondita.

The report mentioned the construction of a clandestine airstrip in the La Hondita, where an aircraft without registration used to land.This led to the arrest of four men. 

The former prosecutor Valdés, promoted in an irregular manner by Lorentz, released the detainees. 

According to Valdés, Ballesteros counsel to the men offered the promotion and  $450,000 for the release of the detainees, with the consent of the MP Secretary  Díaz who will be charged when she returns from vacation. Prosecutors interviewed 15 people in the investigation and sought charges against 10 of them, but two were cleared by a judge. {jathumbnail off}