Prosecutors get year for Assembly-linked probe

Panama’s Attorney General will have a year to complete an investigation of alleged scams by community boards linked to lawmakers.

The Fifth Criminal Court declared  that the case of alleged irregularities in the boards is qualified as complex

In the ruling on of this Wednesday, February 27the fifth criminal judge, Enrique Paniza, admitted the request of the Anti-Corruption Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Paniza indicated that the prosecutor’s request “complies with the requirements established in accordance with Law No. 121 of December 31, 2013. In addition, the complex processing procedure is applied.”

The anti-corruption prosecutor Adecio Mojica, has already ordered the investigation of 18 people, allegedly linked to irregularities in transfers made to communal boards between 2009 and 2014, from funds assigned by the Ministry of Finance to deputies.

On August 3, 2018,  .following  an audit by the Comptroller General the Fifth Criminal Court ordered the reopening of the process for 29 community boards in corresponding to Panama province