Cinta Costera 3 cost for audit
PANAMA’S $782 million Cinta Costera 3, originally projected to cost $500 million will be subject to an audit said the Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday Mar 3.
The Office clarified that although it was not included on a list of 11 projects that will be audited by the agency, it it will be examined as part of a separate complaint.
The project was built during the administration of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) over the objections of UNESCO and residents of Casco Viejo, and amid widespread public concerns about the escalating cost.
The 11 projects included on the initial list were based on complaints being handled by the Office
of Special Prosecutors Against Organized Crime.
They are based on statements made by Odebrecht officials that they paid $59 million in bribes in Panama between 2010 and 2014.
The Cinta Costera 3 project was already slated to be audited based on another complaint
The Special AntiCorruption Prosecutor’s Office, which includes prosecutors Tania Sterling, Vielka Broce, Zuleyka Moore and Ruth Morcillo, has so far investigated six cases related to alleged irregularities committed by the Brazilian construction company in Panama. The oldest dates from 2006.
