A tourism czar without a U.S, Visa … call for Shamah resignation
The U.S. government has withdrawn the visa of the Minister of Tourism, Solomon Shamah says La Prensa , quoting officials who asked that their names not be disclosed.
This, said the officials would have been the reason why Shamah could not travel to the U.S. with the delegation accompanying the president, Ricardo Martinelli to meet with his encounter with Barack Obama.
Shamah a close confident of President Marinelli, who has accompanied him to Europe and Israel, and was one of the prime movers in the Martinelli election campaign.
The issue comes at a time of the revelation of confidential cables from former U.S. ambassador in Panama, Barbara Stephenson, linking Shamah to drug traffickers.
La Prensa said it had tried to on Friday, May 6 to contact Shamah for an explanation but he did not return calls but the newspaper learned that Shamah was in contact with Martinelli and Henry Ho, manager of the government’s newly created garbage authority who has been named for funneling money from associates of convicted felon David Murcia Guzman to the Martinelli election campaign.
An email sent to President Martinelli, at 9:43 am, asking for comments on the statements of Stephenson got a reply 7 minutes later: "Please guide your questions to the Chancellor" and copied the email to Vice President and Foreign Juan Carlos Varela.
The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, dodged answering. The reply said:: "On several occasions he has said he will not issue comments on Wikileaks cables, which are r internal communications of U.S. diplomacy."
Wikileaks cables delivered to La Prensa say Stephenson, citing the DEA, said Albert, brother of Shamah, piloted a plane with Martinelli and Murcia on board with. All records of the flight have diasappeared.
Late Friday, former vice president and former Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis Navarro sent a message to President Martinelli demanding the immediate resignation of Shamah.
"There is a widespread cover-up to these allegations of corruption, and that happens when a justice is not independent and politicized," said Lewis
