Ex-Public Works minister behind bars

Panama ’s former Minister of Public Works,(MOP) Federico ‘Pepe’ Suárez is in preventive detention after taking refuge in Article 25 of the Constitution, so he did not testify against himself at a Friday, October  13  meeting with the Sixth Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s office.

The eighteenth criminal judge, Ana María Aznarán  had earlier denied a request for bail not to be detained in the  “Blue Apple” case related to the alleged payment of bribes by contractors to several officials of the Ricardo Martinelli government between 2011 and 2012

The former heads of the MOP. It has been mentioned Jaime Ford, Federico José Suárez and The Director of Contracts Administration, Jorge Churro Ruíz were alleged central players in the scandal.

An Interpol   red alert has been issued for Churro Ruíz.

Some of those involved, mainly businessmen, have accepted charges of  money laundering and conspiracy to commit a crime reports TVN.