Prosecutors name recipients of $102 million in Panama corruption swamp
FOUR anti-corruption prosecutors called a press conference on Thursday evening, November. 29 to roll out details of 0ver $102 million in bribes paid out by the Odebrecht organization during two administrations, Torrijos, (5.5 million ) Martinelli (96.7 million)while five projects of the current administration are under investigation).
The three government periods covered were : Martín Torrijos (2004-2009); Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) and Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019).
New revelations from the four who have toiled for over four years in the corruption swamp, show former Finance Minister Frank De Lima was shown to have received not $7 million, but $10.2 million in bribes.
A little over a year ago, with the signing of the collaboration agreements between the prosecution and the main executives of Odebrecht, the amount of bribes paid in Panama was estimated at $86 million. But at the conference the prosecutors showed illegal payments amounted to over $102 million and the number of accused high rollers totals 76.
The bribes were paid through Odebrecht’s Structured Operations Department created to enable bribes abroad through a multiplicity l number of companies, including Constructora Internacional del Sur, said prosecutor Zuleyka Moore.
2006-2009
In this period, the prosecutors investigated 3 projects executed by Odebrecht from the Remigio Rojas irrigation system, coastal belt, phase 1, and the Madden-Colón highway.
Prosecutor Moore revealed that two businessmen who served as figureheads for the payment of at least $5.5 million have been identified.
“In the 2006-2009 period, we have identified the traceability of money that reaches legal persons and that goes to senior officials, which we have already identified, but we must comply with the formalities. You will know who they are when they reach the prosecutor’s office … Rest assured they will have to answer the questions of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, “said Moore.
The prosecutor’s office highlighted the two new collaboration and penalty agreements signed with Andrés De León Mozes Libedinsky and Mauricio Cort, who identified new final beneficiaries
The collaboration agreement signed with Mozes Libedinsky, he was sentenced to 42 months and returned $1.7 million.
After the agreement, he gave information that identifies the director of Conades (2009.-2014) Danna Harrick as the final beneficiary of the company Ralfim Limited, which received over $3 million.
A red alert has been issued to Interpol for her capture.
A of penalty and agreement signed with Cort on November 29, sets a penalty of 48 months jail time and the return of $1.6 million.
Cort revealed information that allowed the prosecution to corroborate that former Public Works Minister Federico José Suárez had received just over $ 4 million.
In addition, Cort gave information to the prosecution that allowed him to identify that through a
complex structure of more than 15 societies, the brothers Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique
Martinelli Linares -children of t former president Ricardo Martinelli-, as well as Riccardo
Francolini, former president of the Board of Directors of the Savings Bank, who would have received $53 million from Odebrecht.
Through two intermediaries, Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos and José Luis Saiz, who have signed
collaboration and penalty agreements with the prosecution, it was possible to identify that
former Finance Minister of Finance Frank De Lima received $10,250,000 in bribes, an amount greater than the $7 million that had been indicated after the agreements with the Brazilian company.
The prosecution confirmed the bribes allegedly received by Demetrio Papadimitriu, former Minister of the Presidency ($4 million) and Jaime Ford, former Minister of Public Works ($1.8 million). They also confirmed the bribes received by Carlos Ho González, director of special projects of the MOP ($550,000).
CD Party
The prosecution specified that for the funds of the campaign of the ruling party at that time,
Cambio Democrático, Odebrecht allocated $7.5 million and that in the case of the former Minister of Housing and former presidential candidate José Domingo Arias,got $2 million.
The prosecution points to a figurehead for the delivery of the funds for Arias – now the
presidential candidate of the Alianza party – to José Porta Álvarez, treasurer of his campaign in 2014 and owner of the Allure Consulting and Services account, which would have received the payments.
Badger Title, belonging to a lawyer partner of Rómulo Roux, the now CD Presidential candidate for 2019, funneled , $500.000 in bribes allegedly used to pay the credit card of the president of the CD party.
In this case, the Electoral Tribunal refused to raise Roux’s electoral jurisdiction to be investigated.
Varela Administration
Five projects initiated under the current are under investigation, including the revitalization of public spaces that Odebrecht executed in the Municipality of Panama Panama, under the leadership of the mayor and current presidential candidate of the Panameñista Party, José Isabel Blandón Figueroa.
The prosecutor said that Odebrecht has continued to collaborate with giving information and as new names appear, they will be called to account.
The line of investigation involves the “lobbyist” of the Panameñista Party Jaime Lasso, ex-Consul of Panama in Korea, and his daughter, after receiving $10 million from Odebrecht. Lasso faces justice in this case said Moore.
