Hydroelectric directors linked to president, resign
DAYS after a newspaper carried a series of features linking relatives and employees of President Martinelli to hydroelectric projects in Veraguas, named directors have resigned.
They submitted their resignations through an expedited procedure in the Public Registry after La Prensa asked Martinelli for his reaction to the presence of his relatives in the companies. Those who resigned included an employee of Super 99, two relatives of the president, and a friend and partner of the sons of the ruler.
Minister of the Presidency, Roberto Henriquez, appeared on FOX TV to defend the president and attack journalist James Ridge.
When the story first broke, Martinelli Twittered an attack on the journalist writing the story and alleged that he had been fired from an electricity company for sexual harassment.
Said Henriquez: "The line of La Prensa is not one good thing to recognize in this government, always focus on the negative side of an issue …" he said, and accused the investigative journalists of publishing falsehoods .