Varela accused in Odebrecht bombshell

THE LATEST bombshell in the ongoing  Odebrecht bribery scandal  adds President Juan Carlos Varela to the list of those who allegedly benefited from the corrupting largesse of the Brazilian construction company.

It comes this time from the mouth of a former lawyer of the Brazilian construction company, and says La Estrella De Panama.  opens a Pandora’s box whose Panamanian key is in the hands of the Public Ministry, not noted for fast action.

Panama prosecutors were previously accused of having sat on their  hands when asked to cooperate with Brazilian prosecutors working on the Lava Jato case which had seen the former president of Odebrecht jailed for  20 years, while he and a clutch  of former executives were cooperating by naming names of corrupt officials in a dozen countries  including Panama, who had received multi millions in bribes.

The Panama figure had been listed as $59 million, but was believed to be much higher as over $25 million has been seized in bank accounts and assets from the sons of former President alone, and a total of 43 Panamanians are under investigation.

President Varela was previously accused of links to Odebrecht  by a partner of the Mossack Fonseca law firm, and former advisor to the president at the time of his arrest in the Panama Papers scandal.

In an exclusive interview with  the Spanish newspaper El País, a  Spanish born Brazilian lawyer linked to Odebrecht between 2011 and 2016, has fingered former president Ricardo Martinelli, his candidate in the 2014 elections, José Domingo Arias, and President Juan Carlos Varela.

Gtatitude  Parties
In addition to bribes Rodrigo Tacla Durán, described “thank you parties” for officials with women flown in from Brazil. Photos taken were later used as blackmail he said..

Tacla, an attorney with Odebrecht’s Structured Operations Department, which was created to distribute bribes in countries where  the company  operated told José María Irujo and Joaquín Gil, El País journalists, that the construction company ‘transferred funds’ to Michelle Lasso, “a person close to” Varela   now president of Panama.

“Odebrecht was organizing parties, and  sent women from Brazil to celebtate  with politicians in Panama and the Dominican Republic. It was the company’s  way of expressing its  gratitude. Although it  later also became a blackmail …” says Tacla, who is on bailand pending trial for money laundering, among other crimes.

According to El País, Tacla claims that the construction company paid one million euros to two suppliers of a rum company owned by the Varela family. “The payment was made through an HSBC account in Hong Kong,” he says.

He also claims  that the Panama Attorney’s Office contacted its Spanish counterpart to take an interest in his judicial declaration. “When I asked for the collaboration with Panama to be official, they did not call me again,” said  the lawyer, who identifies the “change of attitude” of the Panamanian Public Prosecutor’s Office with the “friendship” of President Varela and André Rabello, former head of Odebrecht in Panama. “They want to know what I said in Spain

In 2014, he adds, the construction company tried to give a plane to Martinelli, but the politician rejected it. “The company wanted to stay in with Martinelli and the candidate of his party, José Domingo Arias, of the ruling Democratic Change, in the general election that year, Tacla told El Pais.

Referring to  the $59 million in  bribes to representatives and relatives of the Government of Panama between 2010 and 2014, acknowledged by Odebrecht the lawyer   says that “the amount is greater” and that the company “ran with the expenses of the main candidates of the 2014 elections: José Domingo Arias and his adversary, the current president Varela. It bet on both.”

Varela denial
President Juan Carlos Varela rejected the implications in the interview  report  La Prensa, La Estrella, El Siglo and other media.

“The Odebrecht investigation is in the Public Prosecutor’s Office, I’m not going to comment, because it would be irresponsible,” Varela said

According to the president, the information on his campaign donations is public and Tacla’s assertions about his family’s company, Varela Hermanos, “are totally false.”

He also rejected any complicity with the Odebrecht Prosecutor’s Office, and stressed that “we must trust the authorities of the country, which are the ones that have to find those responsible [receiving bribes], to recover our heritage and to know the whole truth.