lawmakers splurge 166 million taxpayer dollars
Over $166 million of taxpayer money was used by free-spending lawmakers from 2014 until April 24 of this year says a report published on the website of Panama’s Comptroller on m published on Thursday, April 25
Nine deputies each spent over $3 million in payrolls and donations, while 34 spent between $2 million and $3 million adding support to the growing “NO to re-election” chorus from civil groups..;
The disclosure comes a day afof the information occurs just after the comptroller, Federico Humbert, presented new complaints in the Public Ministry (MP) against 20 Assembly officials o and against deputies in the Supreme Court
The report shows that 10 deputies handled about $36.6 million between donations and payrolls. In this group, there are three former presidents of the Legislative, a general secretary of a political party and the current president of the Assembly.
The two times president of the l Assembly, the PRD deputy Rubén De León, was the one who spent most in payrolls and contracts, with $6.4 million.
Interestingly, 77% of this money was delivered in 2016, that is, during the same period in which De León held the position of president of the Assembly. reports La Prensa.
José Luis Varela, president of the Panameñista Party and brother of President Juan Carlos Varela, was the deputy of his group that managed more money, adding almost $4 million.
Pedro Miguel González, current general secretary of the PRD, is the second largest fund manager in payrolls and donations, with $3.9 million, according to the report.
In 2016 alone, González used $1,680,000 of funds from the AN
The president of the PRD deputy Benicio Robinson has one of the more expensive payrolls and aid of the Assembly: $3, 522,000
Robinson’s beneficiaries include nine with the same surname: Sonia ($2,672), Ruth ($3,000), Robin ($ 12,563), José ($6,563), Jaime ($32,640), Eneida ($3,580), Edmundo ($10,727), Edilma ( $2,970) and Aurelia ($2,380).
Democratic Change secretary and current Assembly presidentYanibel Ábrego, spent $3 229,000 with 58% of this amount comes from payments to “payroll” of over 200 people.
Ábrego made $20,000 donations to the Community Board of Villa Rosario and Cirí Grande, both in Capira where she is running for re-election-
Humbert revealed that the audits that accompany the denunciations presented in the MP and the Supreme Court reveal “many irregular maneuvers” with the Legislative funds.
Humbert said among the irregular findings found “that a single deputy was given 160 checks of $3,000 in a single month.”
He said that auditors also found “hundreds” of checks that were endorsed or changed with false signatures and others by people already deceased.
“We have given adequate support to the Court and the Public Ministry to bring the judicial proceedings to Assembly officials and deputies that were lent to the irregular management of public funds,” said Humbert.
