The blocker blocked in corruption probe

THE MAN whose employees once blocked the delivery trucks of La Prensa from leaving the building  after the publication of  articles  highlighting perceived irregularities in projects ordered by the Ricardo Martinelli administration is now himself blocked from carrying on with his daily activities.

Daniel Ochy, representative of Transcaribe Trading (TCT), is behind bars at the DIJ headquarters in Ancon, where he arrived in handcuffs late Wednesday night, June 22,  after a day of tough questioning by anti-corruption prosecutor Adecio Mojica who since August 2015 has been investigating, an alleged overcost of more than $60 million in the project for the extension of the Arraiján La Chorrera highway, handed to the  much-favored company by the Martinelli administration.

The expansion and rehabilitation project was awarded to the Ochy company at a cost of $152.6 million with a

two and a half years deadline with delivery scheduled for March 2013.

But four years and three months later the work has not been completed.

The  current Minister of Public Works, Ramón Arosemena, said on Wednesday, June 21, “we are still struggling to build a worthy road according to the contract that the company signed with the Ministry in the last administration.”