Mass poisoning victims protest court whitewash

SURVIVORS and families of victims of the mass poisoning by government supplied cough mixture containing diethylene glycol, protested outside Panama’s  Supreme Court on Monday August 1.

The protest was held against a decision of the court released on Friday that after 10 years of protests,  cleared senior officials of Social Security (CSS) who were in office at the time of the poisoning in 2006.

Antonio Vargas, who represents victims and their families, said the decision will be appealed. He added that once domestic options are exhausted, they will appeal to international authorities.

He said that during a hearing earlier this year evidence was presented that implicated the officials.

Vargas asked: “How can the court justify the acquittal of a few and the condemnation of others?”

He said the case represents a “historic” tragedy that continues to have an impact on a large number of people in the country.

Hundreds of people died and thousands of others were made ill due to cough syrup that was tainted with diethylene glycol. The medicine was distributed by Social Security.

The verdict absolved René Luciani, who served as Social Security Director , and former employees Linda Thomas and Pablo Solis Gonzalez. Also freed was Teófilo Gateno, the legal representative of the company that approved the financing of Medicom, the company that sold the product, and Josefa De La Cruz, the director of Medicom.

The court did sentence Medicom Director Ángel De La Cruz to five years in prison, and also punished three former Social Security employees with 12 month sentences.