Villamonte denounced in third land transfer case

YET ANOTHER complaint has been filed against Anabelle Villamonte,  former Director of Certification of Panama’s National Land Management Authority.

The latest contains allegations of influence peddling, abuse of authority, false statements and environmental crimes. It was presented Friday, May 31 at the Public Ministry (MP)  by Donaldo Sousa, lawyer for residents pf Punta Chame, who said the case relates to alleged irregularities in the allocation of land in the coastal zone.

The complaint includes Villamonte and three other people, that since December 2012 are being investigated for crimes against the public trust, in the same case by  the Second Circuit Attorney.
Sousa asked the MP to include the first process in new lawsuit because it is the same facts and persons allegedly responsible for illegal land allotment.
The lawsuit cites the Anati Resolution 329 of October 7, 2011, in which the parcel of land classified as property of the nation, although, according to the complainants, is a sand and sea bordering eight titled property lots duly authenticated in the Public Registry.
"This resolution [the 329] is totally unlawful and using the same default has breached a number of legal and procedural rules for the issue of land allocation decisions making it totally illegal," the lawsuit said.
According to the document, to which La Prensa had access, Villamonte used as witnesses persons who are not residents of the place and gave the land "by the total lack of several inspections." Also imposed "one last false inspection, without consulting the eight adjoining lots."
According to Sousa, the defendants violated the law by ordering procedures on the grounds that inspection in just 24 hours.

The Second Circuit Office has imposed precautionary measures of biweekly reporting on Villamonte and the other three defendants in the trial for crimes against the public trust.
Villamonte surived two other high profile trials for alleged irregularities. Cases against her  were dismissed in January for alleged irregularities in the award of a fill in Paitilla and in February on similar charges relating to 54 hectares of coastal land in Juan Hombrón.
La Prensa repeatedly called Villamonte on their cell phones, and also tried to contact her lawyer Guillermina McDonald, without response