$140 million seized from corruption suspects

OVER $140 million related to alleged corruption has been seized by the Public Ministry (MP), the Court of Auditors and the Directorate General of Revenue (DGI) in proceedings for alleged corruption and other crimes, by former officials of the government of Ricardo Martinelli and businessmen with government ties.

The action against suspects took place between November 2014 and June 2015.
The former director of the National Assistance Program (PAN) Rafael Guardia Jaen is facing 11 processes in the MP, and has $20 million frozen in bank accounts
The biggest clamp down has been in the investigation of of Cobranzas del Istmo, SA (CISA) totaling $ 62.4 million. In these investigations, Christopher Salerno, CISA shareholder, returned $20.6 million to the state, but another $36.7 million of his remains seized. Also linked in the same case with accounts frozen is Luis Cucalón, former head of the DGI, $5.8 million. The DGI has also seized $488,000 of CISA.
The Court of Auditors ordered the seizure of $44.9 million from four businessmen involved in the investigations for the dehydrated food contract.
The Organized Crime Prosecutor seized $1.4 million in the case of money laundering, linked to the investigation conducted in the legislature of ex-judge Alejandro Moncada Luna
Mario Martinelli, brother of former President Ricardo Martinelli, has had m $1.7 million seized in the case of buying and selling grain to the National Assistance Program (PAN).
The former vice president Felipe Virzi Pipo returned $5 million following research of the Tonosí irrigation project, which were placed under the orders of the MP.
Other businemen with seized accounts are Juan Carlos Marciaga ( 2 million); Roberto Carretero ($1 million) and Carlos Caneto Arauz ($2.5 million). All are linked to scandals in the PAN reports La Prensa.