All state bank board members face probe

ALL THE BOARD members  of the state owned savings bank Caja de Ahorros who were in office when the bank approved a loan for the Amador convention center.will be questioned during an ongoing investigation.

Attorney General Secretary Rolando Rodriguez Cedeño said  that orders will be issued to question all the board members, as has already been done with board Chairman Riccardo Francolini and journalist Fernando Correa.

Jayson Pastor, the former manager of the bank, was questioned by an anti-corruption prosecutor on  Monday and Tuesday.

Correa will be interviewed Thursday after earlier questioning on  Monday.

“Some people have come voluntarily, but all have been summoned,” said Rodriguez.

Defense lawyers argue that no crime was committed because the loan was repaid in its entirety.

But Rodriguez said repayment of the money “represents a mitigation, but not a defense of criminal conduct.”

“If [the money] was returned voluntarily, this will be taken into account, but there was a criminal action,” he said.

The investigation was opened because the money ended up in bank accounts owned by shell companies connected to close associates of former President Ricardo Martinelli.

The new convention center contract was approved during his government although attempts to sell off the Atlapa Convention Center had failed.