Martinelli bribe allegations to be aired in Rome

ON THE EVE of a hearing in Rome into  allegations of bribery  in Panama  by the Italian  conglomerate Finmeccanica, former Public Security  Minister Security Jose Raul Mulino has used unconvincing arguments  in his defense over the $125 million  purchase of radars from the Finmeccanica subsidiary Selex.

Accused of embezzlement, Mulino has claimed that he does not have any responsibility in the signing of the contract as he was following the guidelines of a memorandum of understanding signed between Italy, and Panama that called for the purchase of the equipment.

Mulino, however, has not responded to questions about the lack of transparency in the negotiation of the purchases, the haste in making them, and the scandal of payment of commissions to a company unrelated to the deal, Agafea.

Mulino, who has been jailed since Monday in the case, has denied any wrongdoing in the purchase, saying on the day of his arrest that he was only complying with state guidelines approved by the Cabinet Council. But he failed to mention that he was the one who presented the contracts to the council and was the person responsible for negotiating them. reports La Prensa.

He has also tried to blame President Juan Carlos Varela, who was the foreign minister at the time, former Minister of Economy and Finance Alberto Vallarino and his deputy and current Minister Dulcidio De la Guardia for the scandal.

But Mulino was the person who signed the contract and was the one who negotiated that and two others, with a total value of $250 million, in just 34 days, despite the complexity of the  agreements. The contracts, which also included the purchase of helicopters and a digital mapping system, were aimed at improving coastal security.

The radars contract has come under scrutiny because they do not detect the speedboats typically used by drug traffickers. And the entire package has been questioned due to a $25 million commission that was slated to be paid to Agafea, a company that has no apparent link to the deal. The cost of the radars has also long  been questioned, as they appear to have cost much more than similar equipment Selex sold to other countries. Turkey, for example got more and paid less.

Investigations carried out by Italian prosecutors have also determined that there was a surcharge of at least 10 percent in the contract, and alleged that Agafea was going to be used as a conduit for bribes to be paid to former President Ricardo Martinelli and others.