Navarro sues over Trojan horse story

FORMER PRD presidential candidate Juan Carlos Navarro has sued La Prensa for $2 million for alleged damages to “his image, personality, good name and dignity.”

The lawsuit is based on an article published on Oct. 24, 2015, in which PRD officials Mitchell Doens and Francisco Sánchez Cárdenas alleged that former President Ricardo Martinelli gained access to the PRD after bank transfers were detected to companies linked to Javier Martínez Acha, who served as treasurer of Navarro’s campaign reports La Prensa.[At that time reports were circulating that Navarro who ran a lack luster campaign, was seen dining with Martinelli]

The suit also names Doens, Sánchez Cárdenas and, Eduardo Mendoza, the journalist who wrote the story.

“All my family has suffered from the damage caused by these people, who without explanation took on the task of informing the Panamanian population of the alleged involvement of Mr Navarro in a criminal offense,” says the lawsuit, prepared by Gabriel Carrera Pittí.

The lawyer asked  Navarro to undergo a psychological test “to determine the moral, emotional and psychological damage that he has suffered.”

The suit  also requests that an expert determine if the news affected the image of the presidential candidate.

The origin
The story that  La Prensa published said   that Doens and Sánchez Cárdenas asserted the existence of a “Trojan horse” in the PRD revealed by  the handling of accounts and money by the manager of the party Javier Martínez Acha.

In another paragraph it informed that Martínez Acha, who was the treasurer of Navarro’s election  campaign,  had $2 million  deposited in  the accounts of Custody Account, Inc., and Queensland Properties, Ltd., on June 22 and 23

The transaction was made through the businessman  Felipe Pipo Virzi, one of the members of the “Inner circle” of  Ricardo Martinelli. The money came from payments from the company Hidalgo & Hidalgo, In charge of the failed  Tonosi, Los Santos irrigation project .

“Commissions” from the project were distributed to members of the Inner Circle, some of whom have fled the country.

Criminal trial dates have been set for many of those involved, including Virzi.