Poor-show deputy ignites political storm

A Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), deputy who piggy-backed a bill to cancel a ports contract onto another designed to reduce sales of liquor in residential areas has ignited a storm in the legislature and re-opened windows into his controversial activities.

Fellow Peredista Iván Picota has  expressed outrage over the “legislative shrimp” that was introduced in Draft Law 53, which repealed the port contract between the Maritime Authority of Panama (AMP) and PSA Panama International Terminal to build and operate a containers terminal in the former US Navy base in  Rodman,

The contract was approved by Law 2 of February 10, 2015.

“I’m outraged with what happened, I did not know anything about this (…).

” I am going to going to ask for all the investigations to know what happened, how it happened and when it happened (…) That was not my intention, and we’re going to correct this because I do not agree that the port contract  be repealed ” he told La Prensa

The commotion arose when the deputy Roberto Ayala, introduced an article Into the draft Law 53, which repealed the port contract.

According to Picota, the act committed by Ayala is “irresponsible”, and he will ask the partial veto of the bill so that it is returned to the Assembly to take corrective actions.

According to the deputy, Panama needs many more ports, so he disagrees with repealing the controversial port contract, an initiative for the benefit of citizens.

Picota asks that the actions of Ayala committed be punished if necessary and to review the internal regulations and code of ethics to avoid actions that affect the deteriorating image of the National Assembly.

La Prensa says it is the third time Ayala, the deputy from La Chorrera has been involved in controversial issues since  July 2014.

In April 2017, he was fingered as one of those who managed irregular donations and contracts,  uncovered by  La Prensa.

The paper  reported that Luis Jaramillo, in 2016, reported  in a letter to the then president of the Assembly, Rubén De León, that Ayala went to his house [in La Chorrera] with Ibraim Valderrama, at that time a permanent civil servant  assigned to Ayala’s office, to offer him  a professional services contract for $200 per month, in exchange for the vote in favor of  Valderrama as a PRD delegate of), who wished to be re-elected as

president of the party in La Chorrera. “I refused and I rejected that appointment […]. I request, you do the corresponding investigation because I have not authorized or signed any contract, “said Jaramillo in the letter.

Ayala denied the report. “The donations and contracts of my office were granted to whom it corresponds, without removing a penny for anybody, “he said.

PRD Divided
The morning of July 1, 2017, the day on which CD  deputy Yanibel Ábrego was elected president of the Assembly, Ayala became news again.

Along with a group of PRD supporters, he bucked the party line promoting Carlos Motta for the post.

“Panama West needs development and my vote is for Yanibel Ábrego, “said Ayala. one of his rare pronouncements in plenary.

The PRD initiated a process to expel the rebels, but the project died on the vine

Absences
According to the Assembly  website in  January Ayala, who is part of

the Budget Committee, attended the plenary session 10 times and requested absence 7 times.

In February he attended once and the rest of the month.  requested absence  It is unknown how many times he went to in March and so far in April, as the data are not available on the website.

On  Sunday, April 22 Ayala said he acted in good faith when proposing the repeal of the PSA contract law. He said that all the established procedures were complied with.