Pork barrel deputies spend $1.4 million monthly on staff

The publication of the National Assembly Form 002, which lists  transit and  support staff  for Panama’s big spending deputies many of whom are frequent no-shows at the “work” place has raised more questions from civil society and provided more ammunition  for the  “no to re-election” campaign

The form’s,  list of plunderers was published on Monday, on the website of the  Comptroller General.

Some of the more blatant examples of feeding at the public trough or creating jobs for the boys.  Listed in La Estrella are:

Héctor Valdés Carrasquilla, of circuit 8-6, in San Miguelito, of the Democratic Change Party (CD), with six veh

icle drivers are with salaries between $ 800 and $ 1,500 each.

Dana Castañeda, circuit 2-3, in Natá, Olá and La Pintada, in Coclé, CD, has five drivers

Panameñista Deputy Florentino Ábrego, has seven manual workers on his payroll, with salaries of between  $600 and$800.

Alfredo Pérez, of the PRD has six manual workers assigned to his office; Aibán Velarde, also of the PRD, other manual workers.

Ausencio Palacios, of the PRD; and Absalom Hererra, CD, they have each assigned to their offices five security agents tp their office,

Crispiano Adames, PRD, has six secretaries with a salary of $ 1,000 each.

PRD  Deputy Iván Picota has five secretaries and four drivers.

Deputy Mario Lázarus, CD, who got a slap on the wrist after running down and killing a young girl and leaving the scene of the accident has five named inspectors on his payroll. While the PRD stalwart Pedro Miguel González, has appointed 12 administrative assistants. Juan Poveda, CD, has, seven people in the same role. The PRD  leader Benicio Robinson employs eleven community promoters. The Panameñistas José Castillo and José Antonio Domínguez have ten and nine community promoters, respectively.

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Annette Planells, of the Independent Movement (Movin), says the deputies continue to abuse the resources of the State.

“It is evident that they have excess personnel. There is no physical space for all the secretaries and assistants who have been appointed to work, there is no excuse for having more than one driver or six security agents, ” she said.

The lawyer Ernesto Cedeño said it is not justified that a deputy has several secretaries or multi[lr drivers and manual workers. “It would seem that there was duplicity of functions and, in my opinion, they should be investigated based on Article 349 of the Criminal Code, which indicates that the person who is appointed to a position and does not exercise it commits a crime,” he said.