Hit men attempt to kill PAN scandal witness.

 TWO HIT MEN on a motor cycle attempted to kill a key “protected” witness in the National Assistance Pogram (PAN) scandal on Wednesday morning, July 15.
The scandal has involved numerous high profile officials of the previous administration.

The Public Ministry (MP) witness, identified with the alias “Euro-14,”  is the one who exposed corruption in the PAN under the management of Rafael Guardia Jaen.

Meanwhile Guardia, who has been identifying multiple suspects in a massive multi-million embezzlement operation, and who is reported to have received death threats while in custody in La Gran Joya prison,  has been hospitalized after suffering internal bleeding while in La Renacer prison.
The van I carrying the witness and a driver- received at least five shots, including the passenger window, by two hitmen on a motorcycle without a plate on the road from of El Dorado to Albrook.
The witness, who was to testify tomorrow in the $46 million scandal over purchase of grains at grossly inflated prices, was unhurt in the attack, because the van was reinforced in February, when he was revealing to prosecutors, the modus operandi’ in PAN lucrative contracts.
After being hit the van crashed injuring the driver.
In March the witness  had publicly denounced death threats that forced him to go abroad.
“Not only have I been threatened, but also my family … The authorities are aware …  reports La Prensa.
The witness also complained that the MP withdrew security “without any explanation.”
“I felt betrayed by the prosecution because I had been promised security for me and my family,” he said.
The father of the witness gave a sworn statement on Wednesday that he had alerted the Security Council to “possible attempts on the life of my son”
The document also say that his son returned to Panama  after being summoned by the First Anticorruption Prosecutor Tania Sterling, who had promised to assign a guard which did not happen.

The witness left the country after the attack.

Mayte Pellegrini, a key witness in another scandal, Financial Pacific, who  has  made allegations against ex- president Rivardo Martinelli,   Supreme Court President Ayu  Prado  and former tourism manager   Salomon Shamah, applied for police protection while undeer house arrest, but her application was denied.
Two days before the attack, relatives of the witness stressed to the MP the need to provide protection, but received no response.
“Euro-14” was to attend Friday to testify with the First anti-corruption prosecutor on the purchase of grains 2012 and 2014, costing about $5 million.
In this case they are charged 32 people, including fugitive Adolfo “Chichi” De Obarrio, private secretary to Ricardo Martinelli; Gioconda Torres de Bianchini, ex- comptroller; Mario Martinelli, brother of the former president; Roberto Brin, manager at Super 99, Angel Famiglietti, former official of the PAN, and Frank De Lima, former Minister of Economy and Finance, who isr in custody. Criminal complaints have also been laid linking  Ricardo Martinelli to the scandal, but he has temporary immunity in the lead up to elections in the CD party ehich he founded, funded, and rules.