13 arrests in tainted prison system

THE  THIRD major corruption network within  a year in  Panama’s justice and custom’s systems has been disrupted .

The latest was   in the prison system which Interior Minister Milton Henriquez, described as “tainted and corrupt,”

He was speaking on Wednesday, August 10   after announcing the dismantling of a network in the country’s prisons, used to alter the  court judgments of falsifying release tickets and manipulate the transfer of prisoners.

Henriquez, along with Attorney General, Kenia Porcell; and the assistant AG , Marcelino Aguilar; detailed searches and operations that led to the arrest of 13 people allegedly linked to the network: four civilians, four staff, three former officials of the Ministry of Government and two prisoners.

Porcell said the band was engaged in collecting money for illegal acts and to swindle the families of prisoners.

Aguilar  said there will y be more arrests, as the  techniques granting conditional freedoms to detainees are investigated.

“Operation Confinement”  was executed by the Public Ministry, the Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) and the Directorate General of the Prison System of the Ministry of Government (MINGOB).

The network entered the database of the Directorate General of Prisons to alter and reduce   sentences of prisoners.

Arrests were made in s La Joya, and La Joyita prisons, the Women’s Rehabilitation Center Orillac Cecilia Chiari, Nueva Esperanza prison in Colon and in some homes and offices of people allegedly linked to the network.

Porcell said the gang could have been operating  for several years.

The main motive was to collect money for falsifying probations and the transfer of detainees to other prisons.

They charged money to reduce penalties for inmates by penetrating the prison database..

Porcell said there were reports of relatives who were scammed by paying up to $70,000 for the parole of an inmate.

“This is an organized network that trafficked in human rights ” said Porcell.

Aguilar said that the  detainees are 10 women and 3 men. Those arrested included a bank employee  whose personal account contained  $ 80,000. Among former arrested were some who had resigned and others were dismissed from the penitentiary system.

NEW ARRESTS

According to the prosecutor, investigations are now in a second phase and more arrests will be made in the coming hours, depending on the interrogations of  those already detained.

Aguilar added that an audit of authorized  probations will  be done because they believe that the network has operated for many years.

The investigation  began in December 2015 following a complaint to the Director General of the Prison System, of irregularities that occurred between October and November 2015.

Minister Henriquez added that a comprehensive assessment of all procedures and protocols is underway to identify and correct any weaknesses of the processes that could compromise the management of the prison system.

Porcell recalled that this is the third operation in which officials of the Public Ministry dismantled corruption networks  in the public sector involved. those discovered in the judiciary and the National Customs Authority.

In November  2015, the Deputy Attorney General arrested 16 people, including officials of the judiciary and individuals allegedly linked to a network that earned money in exchange for granting freedoms to people with processes in the Second Superior Criminal  Court Criminal and criminal courts circuit.

In  April an organization operating in the National Customs Authority  was dismantled and, according to the investigation, it was dedicated to bringing  goods into the country through  Tocumen airport without due registration in exchange for sums of money.

At least 23 officials of the institution, seven individuals and one former official were arrested.