Justice group calls for bribery special prosecutor

INCREASING demands by civil and political groups for strong action in the Odebrecht bribery scandal have put the spotlight on the current administration,  and its dealings with the construction giant,Kus  highlighted by the non-appearance of President  Juan Carlos Varela at a press conference to outline a government response.

The Citizen’s Alliance for Justice has called for the creation of a special prosecutor’s office to investigate the bribes paid by Odebrecht to Panamanian officials between 2009 and 2014.

The alliance, in a statement on Wednesday Dec 28, was also critical of the decision by the Varela government to award the Brazilian firm contracts totaling $2.6 billion despite knowing that it was being investigated for corruption.

“It is because of the above that officials of the current government must also be investigated and therefore the only way to create trust in citizens is to allow the creation of an independent international commission to collaborate with the Attorney General’s Office in this investigation,” the alliance said in a press release.

Odebrecht has been awarded $9 billion in contracts since 2006.

The alliance noted that the Public Procurement Law should be changed to prohibit companies convicted of corruption from engaging in public bids.

Odebrecht has  admitted to paying $788 million in bribes to officials from various countries, including at least $59 million in Panama between 2009 and 2014.

The alliance has called for the identification of officials who received the bribes.

It planned  to hold a demonstration outside the offices of the public prosecutor.