CD leaders in lock down over election funding scandal
DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (CD) leaders. From Ricardo Martinelli down, have retreated to their bunkers following Brazilian media revelations that João Santana and his wife, Mónica Moura, admitted to prosecutors in that country that construction company Odebrecht paid for their services as political campaign consultants in Panama, Venezuela and Angola.
However, Moura said he did not know precisely who paid for his services in Panama and denied having received money from Odebrecht in 2014 when he worked for CD candidate José Domingo Arias.
He said he dealt directly with Domingo Arias and payments were made to him through an offshore company that he did not identify reports La Prensa.
But his company Shellbil Finances signed a contract with the company Klienfield, which is identified as one of the offshore entities linked to Odebrecht and transferred money to accounts of Panamanian companies in Switzerland, whose final beneficiaries were Petrobras executives.
At the same time, Santana said that he met Marcelo Odebrecht at a social event, but that he did not maintain any relationship with him. He said that he had contact with Odebrecht officials abroad when he was working on electoral campaigns.
Santana has also been linked to Panamanian companies that made payments to accounts in Switzerland whose beneficiaries were executives from Petrobras. Those funds came from Odebrecht, prosecutors allege.
Odebrecht officials in Panama said they did not make any contribution related to the Panamanian presidential campaign in 2014. Arias, through one of his employees, said that he would not comment.
Former President and CD founder Ricardo Martinelli hung up on a reporter when contacted for comment.
Other CD officials connected to the Arias campaign, specifically José Muñoz, Alma Cortés, Gisela Porras and Rómulo Roux, did not respond to requests for comment.
An estimated $47 million was allegedly moved through Panama banks to Swiss accounts through shell companies. Brazilian authorities have been critical of Panama for their lack of assistance in this case. Officials for the banks linked to the investigation have said they have cooperated with prosecutors.
The Attorney General’s Office has declined to comment about the investigation, saying the information is confidential says La Prensa.
