Bail denied for former Minister Ferrufino

A BAIL request filed by the defense of former Minister of Social Development (Mides) Guillermo Ferrufino, behind bars for over a year, has been  denied.

Ferrufino who once reflected  a playboy image and had pretensions to run for president. is on trial for the alleged crime of unjust enrichment.

His  downfall was aided by the social media in which he  previously reveled, when Facebook carried photos of his newly acquired mega properties costing far more than his income as a Minister in the Martinelli administration..

The Eleventh judge Eduardo De La Torre denied bail saying  that the accused is being charged with “committing a felony where society is affected” and  his pre-trial detention since March 2015.will continue. Thejudge has 30 days to rview his decision.

De La Torre  said that in his judgment the criminal proceedings have not violated the minimum guarantees under Panamanian law and the American Convention on Human Rights, however, indicates that “the accused knows the charges brought against him and was warned about the process “.

The judge’s ruling was issued on March 9, 2016, two days before the opening of the preliminary hearing in whichFfirst Anticorruption Prosecutor  Tania Sterling, requested the call to judgment Ferrufino, and his wife, Milena Vallarino, for the alleged crime of unjust enrichment.

She also requested trial for Martha Herrera Marcos, Roberto Delgado, Gaston Regis Ramos and Miguel Herrera Marcos, relatives of the former minister..

Ferrufino led the Mides  portfolio during the five years of theRicardo Martinelli  administration 2009- 2014).

An audit by the Comptroller found that in that period Ferrufino accumulated resources totaling a value of $1.1 million, while expenses recorded $ 3.4 million, meaning that their expenses exceeded his income by nearly $ 2.3 million.

He is also under investigation regarding the use of helicopters during his term in office.