Rival newspaper condemns action against Eisenmann

Panama’s oldest newspaper La Estrella dating back to the California gold rush of 1849, has attacked the “misguided government action”  against Roberto Eisenmann, founder of La Prensa and a harsh critic of President Ricardo Martinelli.

"To pretend that that the seizing of the Hotel Coronado is a matter of tax evasion is not  believed by Panamanians," said an editorial on Saturday, May 26

"What the government has achieved with this is that the issue of attack on freedom of expression is  now an international concern," said the newspaper.

"The irony is that the current authorities is the least do no honor to the name of the ruling party, because here there has been a step backward in terms of institutions that even resembles a real democratic change," says the editorial.

"We are all alert, and we will not allow a return to the practice of Noriega. Stop the abuse! Panama Think first!

The editor of La Estrella, Gerardo Berroa, compared this case with the Ecuador newspaper El Universo, Ecuador, whose executives were sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined  $40 million, following a lawsuit filed by the president Rafael Correa.

"What you see is a clear intention to harm the  Eisenmann company because it is a very strong critic of the Government. which  advised the Department of Revenue(DGI) to do this It should do the right thing and we should put a stop to this state of things, "said Berroa.

Last Tuesday, the DGI ordered the seizure  of 35 lots of the Coronado hotel in Chame, citing alleged tax evasion.