Perfect political storm over bribery stories

REVELATIONS by La Prensa about President Ricardo Martinelli‘s son’s meeting with Italian businessmen over government contracts and alleged bribes, has created the perfect political storm in Panama ,with claims and counter claims coming in from all sides.

President Martinelli was first to react on Tuesday afternoon October 8, to reports that his son Ricardo Martinelli Linares participated in negotiations with Italian businessmen Valter Lavítola and Mauro Velocci regarding alleged bribes demanded by the government in exchange for lucrative contracts.

He posted a message on Twitter that said: "The Italian novel of La Prensa will have its last chapter Thursday with our statement on the conspiracy."
Meanwhile, Attorney General Ana Belfon said that the Public Ministry is looking into the allegations, but that prosecutors use "objective evidence" rather than "speculation," such as has appeared in the media.
"We are working on objective evidence and not on guesses," said Belfon.
When questioned if the case was already closed, Belfon said that: "Unfortunately the Ministry does not close processes" and said that this decision would have to be made by a judge.
First Lady Marta Linares said that the information posted on the negotiations between her son and the Italian businessmen "is recycled."
"It is old news," she said. "My son had nothing to do with any matter in Italy or with Lavitola."
She added that Lavitola simply "came with Prime Minister [Silvio]] Berlusconi and was presented as his assistant. Everyone met him," she said, but added that he had a "distant relationship" with her son.
She also said that there is no evidence that any bribes were ever paid, and also noted that the contract that was discussed was never issued.
"You can't receive a bribe for something that never occurred," she said.
Former Comptroller Alvin Weeden called on President Martinelli to address corruption allegations made against him in reference to a defense contract issued to an Italian consortium.
"These serious accusations and allegations, in any other serious country, would have resulted in the president being summoned to the National Assembly," Weeden said. "He should already be under investigation."
Former Attorney General Ana Matilde Gómez said the Public Ministry should consider the new evidence that has been revealed in the case.

Fellow former Attorney General Rogelio Cru said that: "In Panama, this is just a journalistic scandal, but in Italy it is a judicial scandal. What has been revealed is that Italy clearly has a judiciary that is fully independent."
Cruz said that allegations of corruption are only investigated when they involve lower-tier officials or the opposition.
"When it comes to presidents, ministers, deputies and directors of autonomous institutions, the criminal justice system doesn't work," he said.
Angélica Maytín, executive director of the Panama chapter of Transparency International, said: "It is evident that the highest authorities of the government consider the best strategy to be to deflect attention from the case and try to discredit the messenger in this case La Prensa."
She said that "as long as the operators of justice are not independent, this will be an unfortunate constant."
Union leader Rafael Chavarría regretted that Panama is "a country without law."
"In recent times we have seen that the perception of corruption is increasingly higher and the people's money is increasingly used for improper acts," he added.
In the pulse of the nation survey published in August, 49 percent of those interviewed considered that corruption has increased under President Ricardo Martinelli; 12 percent said it has declined and 37 percent said that it has stayed the same.