Details revealed of over $95 million in Odebrecht bribes
A CRIMINAL NETWORK of at least 10 former high profile members of the Ricardo Martinelli administration including his two sons and the finance minister, pocketed nearly $96 million in bribes from the Norberto Odebrecht company in a five year period.
The money was to obtain profitable contracts, and once in place to grease the wheels of bureaucracy to ensure rapid approvals of proposals and fast payment.
Multi-million payments, a procedure that normally could take between 8 months and a year would glide through in barely three months.
Details of the gang of thieves headed by the Martinelli sons were provided by anti-corruption prosecutors in the five-hour validation hearing of cooperation agreements between the Public Ministry (MP) and the Brazilian company on Thursday, November 9.
It was revealed that the company paid bribes in excess of $95.7 million
In the statements given by André Campos Rabello, Odebrecht’s chief executive in Panama, (it was revealed that the two sons of Martinelli received $55.8 million.
The transactions for the Martinelli sons according to Rabello, were through 5 companies among which were Pachira, Kadair and Mengil stand to which were deposited $16, million,$12.8 and $8.7 million respectively.
Rabello also confirmed that, between 2011 and 2014, the former Minister of Economy and Finance, Frank De Lima, received $ million through two intermediary companies called Exon, whose owner was José Luis Sáenz, and Ralfin Limited, with Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos de Regent, who opened a bank account in his name, but the final beneficiary was De Lima, who was given access to the funds.
Another prominent high roller named was involved was Diamantis Papadimitriou, father of the former Minister of the Presidency, Demetrio ‘Jimmy’ Papadimitriou, who would have received a payment of $4 million for an alleged sale of sand that was not supported by a legitimate contract.
The payments were distributed to more than five companies from Aeon Group, Kleinfeld, and Constructora Internacional del Sur.
Jaime Ford, former Minister of Public Works, received $ 1.8 million in an offshore account called Westfall Holding, in a bank in Andorra. Payments were received in a segmented manner between 2013 and 2014.
Carlos Ho, recently fired from the MOP was paid $500,000.
Rabello said that $10 million went to benefit the former presidential candidate and former Minister of Housing, José Domingo Arias during his presidential campaign.
The former ambassador of Panama in South Korea, Jaime Lasso Del Castillo, received $700,000 registered in Antigua and Barbuda.[which he donated to then VP candidate, Juan Carlos Varela.]
The law firm Rosas y Rosas it received nearly $4 million. through accounts in Panama and abroad.
During the hearing, prosecutor Zuleyka Moore requested that the agreement be validated, as Law 121 of organized crime has been complied with and “it has been possible to identify each of the members of this criminal organization.
Agreements
In addition to the denunciations, at the approval hearing, the Public Ministry and Rabello reached agreements, in which the Odebrecht company committed to paying $220 million, over !2 years to the Panamanian State for the damages caused.($10 million has already been deposited)
Judge Oscar Carrasquilla, validated the agreement that included filing the case against Rabello and the company, for money laundering and crimes against public administration. Which means they will no longer be investigated or judged.
