$199 million airport add-ons spark criminal probe

THE ODEBRECHT tender for the construction of the new terminal at Tocumen International  Airport ballooned from $691.7 million to $874 leading a judge to conclude that “this is a crime against public administration, in which there is a possible injury to the State for a considerable sum, “

The Special Anti-Corruption Office, headed by Zuleyka Moore,  is investigating possible injury the State for $ 199 million, including additional costs and addenda that were granted to Odebrecht after the signing of the contract.

It brings the number of ongoing investigations involving  Odebrecht to 23.

The latest originated from a complaint lodged in July 2016 by Panamenista deputy Jose Antonio Dominguez, who warned that the  2012 contract between Odebrecht and Tocumen International “was designed for the company to achieve addenda … which caused patrimonial injury for the State “.

Dominguez argued that the construction design of the airport expansion was not functional and would remain as a monument since the planes could not access the new boarding gates and passengers would have to leave the current building and take a vehicle to get to the new terminal.

According to Dominguez, everything was done for the addenda after the contract was signed.

After the deputy’s complaint, Moore provided a preliminary report of the Criminal Analysis Unit which concluded that there are “signs of irregular management” in the addenda and costs added to the contract.

The unit suggested that it was important to appoint a multidisciplinary team to analyze the increments approved through the addendum, to obtain the necessary financial information to confirm whether the resources of the State were affected

The prosecutor obtained other evidence in the investigation: forms of measurement on the contract and its addendums; spreadsheet for measuring additional costs;  an authenticated copy of the technical proposal presented by Odebrecht; and a copy of the basic design adjusted to the addenda.

The Office of the Comptroller General indicated that it had not been able to authenticate all disbursements made to indicated persons because it needs to verify the records, payrolls and checks in all the public sector entities, and asked the Prosecutor’s Office for a reasonable extension to comply with the request.

A final report is a pending from the Criminal Unit and the analysis of the Comptroller General to establish if the design and construction of the terminal were met.

The prosecutor was granted an extension of eight months for the investigation

The latest probe by the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office is added to another 22 related files with Odebrecht, including bribes paid through banks in Switzerland, the case of the Southern International Construction Company and the bribes disbursed to officials and individuals in Panama.