Another corruption suspect flees Panama
A request for bail not to be detained made by the former director of the National Council for Sustainable Development (Conades) in the Martinelli government has been rejected by the 12th Criminal Court.
Danna Harrick, the ex-director is under investigation by the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor for alleged money laundering in the Odebrecht bribery scandal.
One of the arguments that judge Óscar Carrasquilla entered in the decision to deny the request is that Harrick has fled the country and thereby evades the commitment to the Public Ministry.
Carrasquilla warned that bail is not viable, as the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor is investigating her possible participation in the concealment of money of illicit origin when she was a civil servant
He also concluded that the evidence that would link Harrick to the case is “serious.”
The linkage
The presumed link of the Harrick with the payment of bribes by Odebrecht arises from the revelations made to the prosecutor by businessman Andrés Mozes Libedinsky says La Prensa
According to the inquiries, she received $3 million from Aeon Group Inc. through the company Ralford Limited, registered in Andorra. Of these funds, $250, 000 were transferred to the Betaj Foundation an account in Switzerland, registered in the name of Libedinsky.
The Aeon Group was created to channel black funds from Odebrecht, through the Structured Operations Sector,
Mozez Libedinsky told the prosecutor’s office that when Harrick was the director of Conades, he proposed a business opportunity related to logistics services. At that time, he told her that because she was a government official, she could not sign the contract and asked him to sign it reports La Prensa
Harrick created the company Ralford Limited, in which she was a signatory at the time of its constitution and to open bank accounts. Mozez Libedinsky said he never had access to those accounts since the real owner of the money was Harrick.
He confessed that as a result of the change of government, Harrick went to work in a bank. He then transferred the funds in the Ralford account to the Betaj Foundation, in order to manage the money.
The businessman said that it was not until the end of 2016 when Harrick explained that the contract between Ralford Limited and Aeon Group “was fictitious and unlawful”. She also asked him to keep quiet and to go to Israel. Mozez Libedinsky claimed that he refused the request.
