Assembly trio gets 5 luxury cars for $306,832

PANAMA’S National Assembly aims to spend $306,832 on the no-bid purchase of  five Toyota  Land Cruiser Prado 3.0’s for use by the three deputies  that form the  board of directors.

The  three recipients of the luxury perks are CD Deputy, Yanibel Abrego, president;   Jorge Iván Arrocha, first vice-president; and Gabriel Panky Soto, second vice president, both members of the Panameñista  Party.

The Legislature will incur the expense despite the fact that in  September  Abrego complained that the Ministry of Economy and Finance had recommended an Assembly budget  $35.5 million less than the $81.5 million    it had requested.

At that time, Abrego said that the cut would affect “significantly” projects to change the image of the Assembly.

The technical report to justifiy the purchase, says  that “the last time the institution acquired vehicles with these standards was in 2012, which is why it had to rent vehicles with all the extras to be able to fulfill the  transport requirements of these senior officials.”

Ábrego reacted told La Prensa: “Since 2008, cars have been rented, generating an annual expenditure of approximately $582,000 The purchase of these cars has a cost of $307.000

generating a saving of $275,000″.  She did not specify how many cars were rented or how the numbers were reached.

The rules of procedure of the Assembly allow Members to import two cars tax free every year While the substitutes have the right to introduce one  car without taxes.

Recently, Abrego was forced to suspend donations made by deputies

with public funds following a ruling of the Court that declared the decree of the Comptroller who regulated the practice, unconstitutional