MEDIA WATCH: corruption links rewarded

IN BRAZIL, Odebrecht is synonymous with corruption. Its president is imprisoned, its highest executives face legal proceedings and its operations remain under the inquiring gaze of police, prosecutors and judges.

In Panama, officials of the previous government and apparently this one too- want us to see Odebrecht as an example of transparency, an unblemished corporation, incapable of committing any crime.

In Brazil, fines against Odebrecht are substantial; and rating companies review it periodically and always downwards.  In Panama, it is rewarded with multimillion dollar public works and treated like a respectable company with solid finances.

In Brazil, the authorities have thirty countries cooperating  in its  largest anti-corruption operation. In Panama, the information provided to Brazil for this international research has been scarce, delivered late and reluctantly. Then we wonder why in Brazil,  Panama is treated  as a version of Odebrecht.