$30 million fraud case suspended

A HEARING  in which one of the defendants has alleged he delivered cases stuffed with cash to then president  Ricardo Martinelli, has been further delayed because another defendant has been in hospial for a year.

The Cobranzas del Istmo case was suspended  by  the First Criminal Court on Monday, September 12 day because Luis Cucalón, is still in a private hospital.

Minutes before the audience began, Judge Rolando Quezada Vallespi received a note from medical officials that stated that Cucalón would not be able to attend due to health concerns.

He has been hospitalized since September 2015.

The judge decided to suspend the hearing and will set a new date .

Cucalón, the former director of the National Revenue Authority, is charged with irregularities in the administration of the contract between that agency and Cobranzas del Istmo.

The was  company hired to collect delinquent taxes.

The economic damage to the state is estimated at $30 million.