Embezzlement suspect continues hospital refuge

THE FORMER Director General of Revenue (DGI)    Luis Cucalón, who has been  in a private hospital for 22 months avoiding investigation of alleged embezzlement  of millions of dollars  has once again dodged the bullet.

First Criminal Court, JudgeÁgueda Rentería, has not sent him to the Forensic Medicine and Science  Institute (Imelcf)  after  a new application for medical evaluation, despite the fact that he has remained in Punta Pacifica, Panama’s most expensive hospital, for nearly two years.

He is charged  with presumed embezzlement in the collection of delinquent taxes and is allegedly suffering from high blood pressure.

The director of the Imelcf, Humberto Mas, indicated that  June 2016 was the last time that Cucalón was evaluated.

Meanwhile, Cucalón’s legal defense continued stalling tactics by filing A habeas corpus in favor of his client before the Second Justice Court to avoid his appearance there. The Citizens for Justice  organization is concerned that  Cucalón will evade trial as time runs out.