Diethylene glycol prisoner denied early release

THE FORMER director of Panama’s  Social Security Fund (CSS),  will stay behind bars until month’s end after  a compliance judge, on Monday April 16   denied his request for house arrest.

René Luciani, was jailed for  the massive case of diethylene glycol poisoning of CSS patients who were prescribed cough syrup containing the chemical used as  anti-freeze.

Hundreds of people died and hundreds  more have life time illnesses brought on by the poisoning

The former official will have to complete his sentencet at the El Renacer Penitentiary until April 30, the Judicial Branch reported.

Luciani was convicted in April 2017, and sentenced to 18 months in jail, later reduced to 16 months.

The company Medicom, S.A. in October 2003, it imported USP quality pure glycerin for human consumption, to supply the Fund   for the manufacture of medicines, such as expectorant syrup without sugar and diphenhydramine, by the CSS  medications production laboratory.  It turned out that its content was not the mixture  contracted, but a compound  containing  diethylene glycol that originated in hina and reached Panama via Spain.