Odebrecht emails smoking gun for Panama
A new smoking gun, pointing in many directions has emerged in the Odebrecht scandal with the company’s convicted ex-president-Marcelo Odebrecht- helping Brazilian prosecutors to open new lines of investigation.
That’s unwelcome news for some former high profile movers in Panama which handed the company its first isthmus contract in 2006, and under successive administrations has sent billions in the direction of the construction giant, with more potentially in the offing
The first revelations revolve around works in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela and Panama where the Remigio Rojas, irrigation project, was the first to open the door to scores of millions in bribes.
Documentation seen by La Prensa reveals multiple payments that added, at least, $9.6 million dollars, to six national and foreign companies from 2006 to 2009, during the administrations of former Martin presidents Torrijos and Martinelli. The last payments came, mostly, from the Madden-Colón highway, as well as the Cinta Costera
Marcelo Odebrecht is no longer in jail. He is serving his 20-year sentence – reduced to 10, in his 3,000 square meter mansion thanks to his collaboration in the Lava Jato investigation
The Brazilian federal authorities have asked him to help examine 480,000 emails with Panama figuring high on the list.
The emails of Marcelo Odebrecht reveal that his company would have begun to pay bribes beginning with the Remigio Rojas irrigation project executed between 2006 and 2008, during the administration of former president Martín Torrijos (2004-2009) and during the management of Laurentino Cortizo at the Ministry of Agricultural Development MIDA).
After Cortizo resigned his successor Guillermo Salazar ended up signing the Contract in conjunction with André Rabello, head of Odebrecht in Panama.
20% over cost
The agreed price was $54.2 million, but after several addenda, it ended up costing 20% above the adjudication price: $65.3 million. The project has been investigated by the Public Ministry since July 2017.
In a record of what appear to be payment orders – dated October 31, 2007-
there are three made to strangers, identified only with nicknames, as Captain or Friend Onca or Salary. The payments correspond to “commissions”, with payment by a person identified with the initials AR (which would correspond to those of André Rabello), reports La Prensa.
In total, they paid just over $136000, money that came out of the work identified as “Irrigacao Remigio Rojas”.
Another payment emanating from the project was for $10,000 between 2007 and 2008, and another for $ 100,000,
Odebrecht had other works under the government of Martín Torrijos, such as the MaddenColón highway which also appears in the mails of Marcelo Odebrecht.
The records in which the work appears dated September 30, 2007, have AR responsible for $86 000 in commissions, whose destiny is for someone nicknamed Cachaça.
