Varela on right track departing US ambassador

TRANSPARENCY in Panama, especially in the judicial system is an issue that needs to be addressed and ”There’s still work to do,” but Panama’s current administration is on the right track said Jonathan Farrar, on the eve of his departure as US ambassador to Panama.

 He left the country on June 5 at the end of his mission, which began in May 2012.
Asked by La Prensa why US companies have not participated in bidding processes in Panama, Farrar said : “In the last years of the previous government, many American companies decided not to participate for two reasons: one, they thought that did not have a real opportunity to compete. And two, they were afraid of violating laws related to corruption. Reviving this interest takes time. “I believe that the country has to show on the outside that they are taking changes seriously” he said. “The country has to show that things have changed. It needs to demonstrate that the rules of the game are clear and that there is an opportunity to compete.”
Questioned on the revoking of visas of multiple high profile defendants in Panama’s ongoing corruption scandals, the ambassador said: “It is a matter of enforcing our laws. We are very firm on that, and if there are people linked to corruption cases, under our laws they are not eligible for a visa. We then follow the process for revoking the visa. We always communicate with the affected person and give them the opportunity to come and ask for an explanation.”
Asked for his opinion on the management of former President Ricardo Martinelli, Farrar was circumspect: “In the area of security and sovereignty, the former administration did a good job in recovering territory in the Darién, which was previously under the influence of the FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] and organized crime.
”It is now being revealed that there were problems in the area of transparency. It is very important for the country to improve transparency and the legal system.”
On the evolving corruption investigations into Martinelli he said: “If Panama wants to ask for cooperation, there are very well-defined channels through the embassy. We are ready to collaborate,” he told La Prensa
On the administration of President Juan Carlos Varela, he was more forthcoming: “He has started on the right track. They are trying to do things in a transparent way. It is very important to continue that. And he should not just say that the processes will be transparent. He needs to prove it. And we, as a friendly country, are ready to collaborate.”
The popular envoy recommended that Panama support civil organizations, a sector of society with which he was well connected during his tenure in Panama.
“Governments cannot do everything,” he said. He recalled that he worked with the Commission on Justice and Peace in the elections of May 4, 2014, which were his most memorable experience in Panama.
“Panama gave a lesson to the entire hemisphere that day,” he said. “We were impressed with the environment.”