Italian bribery scandal reports highlight presidential visit.

The president of Finmeccanica, Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, resigned on December 1 at his post over the corruption scandal engulfing the Italian group, with which the government of Panama signed a direct contract of $333.3 million to purchase security equipment.

Guarguaglini submitted his resignation to the Board of Directors of Finmeccanica, a company that in recent weeks has been in the public eye for creating a "black bottom" fueled by overcharging, which then served to bribe officials and politicians in other countries to receive contracts.  

Guarguaglini's resignation fgollows that of Metrangolo Salvatore, president of a subsidiary of the group and Pozzessere Paolo, who served as commercial director of Selex under the Finmeccanica umbrella.. For this scandal, was also arrested last week Manlio Fiore, a senior Selex official was also arrested this week.

The  Selex company Selex 19 radars to Panama for $125 million,  a transaction that has been harshly criticized by opposition MPs as Turkey paid for only $33 million for24 radars.

Panama’s The Security Ministry has rejected the.crticisms. 

This week the  existence of a Panamanian comapany Agafea Corp.came to light. It was chaired by Karen Young Grace Castro, who took a 10% commission for acting as intermediary in the contract signed by Panama with Finmeccanica. 

This company, according to Italian research, is related to Valter Lavítola, former consultant toFinmeccanica and fugitive from Italian justice. 

Lavítola met with President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, who made ??a surprise unscheduled trip to Italy this past August 21
The Italian newspaper II Fatto Quotidiano reported that on that trip Martinelli met with former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at his mansion in Sardinia and the ex consultant of Finmeccanica and Itgalian fugitive  Valter Lavítola. That same day tickets were reserved for Karen De Gracia, president of Agafea Corp. (a company that will receive a commission for the contract with Finmeccanica) to travel to Barcelona.

Meanwhile the office of the presidency launched an attack via a press release on Vice President Juan Carlos Varela, who had called for the suspension of all contracts with Finmeccanica  because of  "serious accusations” about the payment of an alleged “commission” to a third party by signing a multimillion dollar contract to acquire six helicopters, a digital map of the country and 19 brand Selex radar lyra 50. 

Varela’s accusations, were rejected by the Presidency  which issued a press release stating that the "National Government expresses surprise by virtue of statements given to the media by the Vice President." 

It said his statements were surprising as at the time he was Minister of Foreign Affairs, and had to negotiate on behalf of the country agreements that formed the basis for this operation.