Comptroller and CSS director to face Assembly grilling

PANAMA’S Comptroller Gioconda Torres de Bianchini, announced Wednesday August 6 that she will answer the call from the National Assembly and appear on August 19 to answer questions posed by legislators.

According to Assembly President Adolfo Valderrama, a list of nine questions, prepared by the members of the Panameñista and PRD parties, has been sent to the comptroller. Among other items, the comptroller was asked about “turnkey” contracts she endorsed during the administration of Ricardo Martinelli.
 Torres de Bianchini promised to “answer all the concerns” that members have.
Valderrama also reported that Minister of Economy and Finance Dulcidio de la Guardia will appear on Aug. 11 and outgoing Social Security Director Guillermo Sáez-Llorens will appear Aug. 13.
The Minister will answer questions about the financial situation of the country, such as the balance of external debt and extraordinary loans approved at the last moment by the last administration.
Saez-Llorens will be questioned about administrative processes in his five years in office and about issues such as medicine shortages and the construction of the city hospital project.
Saez-Llorens, whose reign has been plagued by confrontations with medical staff, the deaths of 9 babies in the who received proscribed medicine and the deaths, of over 50 patients from KPC will leave office Sept. 30 reports La Prensa. Under his command, the CSS named a hospital after Ricardo Martinelli while he was still President.