Martinelli returns to the attack on La Prensa

In his first public appearance of the year, President, Ricardo Martinelli, railed against "powerful businessmen" and the newspaper La Prensa, whom he accused of leading a smear campaign against his government.

The campaign was he said:  "because they are reaching into the pocket to pay their taxes. "

Martinelli spent much of the 40 minutes of his speech at the National Assembly, in which he wa making his management report to the nation, referring to what he called a "systematic plan of attack" against his government.

During his speech he twice held up a copy of La Prensa, which carried as its front page lead the news that  Panama showed as the biggest  economic growth in Latin America.