Attorney General uses advertorial on Odebrecht probe
THREE separate investigations into contracts given to the Odebrecht construction company, are ongoing said Attorney General Kenia Porcell on Sunday Feb. 5 in a pre-recorded government TV production with no journalists present.
The statement came amid public concerns of possible cover ups, as the company’s contracts totaling over $9 billion, spread over three administrations including the present one which has committed to over $2 billion.
“Everything is being investigated…Time periods are not a limitation. There is one that turned out to be timely, which we have been developing with Switzerland since 2016. We collaborated in an investigation that included the seizure of
some money in Switzerland,” Porcell said.
A second investigation is related to the agreement reached between U.S. judicial officials and Odebrecht in which the company admitted to having paid $788 million in bribes to officials of a dozen countries, including Panama, where at least $59 million was paid between 2010 to 2014.
“And we have another investigation, which is related to the company, connected to corruption in Brazil and money laundering in Panama,” she said.
Porcell made the points in a onehour, prerecorded television program without the participation of journalists, produced by the Attorney General’s Office. The program
was broadcast simultaneously on six television channels on Sunday, Feb. 5
“For me it is important that, the four million inhabitants of Panama know what the Public Ministry does.
If I gave a lecture, I would not be certain that Panamanian society would get the message. That’s why I decided that one way for the Public Ministry to come to the country is with a program in which we could narrate everything we’ve done in the last year,” she said.
The prosecutor reiterated that she has not entered into any agreement with Odebrecht, although the company has agreed to reimburse Panama the $59 million it paid as bribes.
