13 to trial as high profile suspects roam free in bail bond scam

The Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) has asked that 13 people be called to trial for alleged fraud and forgery of documents and offering bail bonds in criminal proceedings in which properties were offered as collateral. With supposedly irregular appraisals.

The Public Faith Unit of the MP considers that the accused evaded the restrictions of the Public Registry and the criminal and civil courts with the bonds and managed to get suspects of various crimes out of jail.

According to the tax hearing of the MP, dated October 16, 2019, the defendants parceled the farms, and artificially increased their value, in order to offer them as support in bonds in criminal and civil proceedings.

For example, a farm of 29 hectares registered in the name of Reforestadora San Cristóbal, S, A, located in Aguadulce, Coclé, valued at $ 400.000 thousand, was segregated into 193 lots and each one was placed with a value of $400.000

The alleged irregularities were detected in 2014. After two years of investigation, the case did not have much progress due to lack of new elements.

But in December 2017, the Third Discharge Prosecutor’s Office asked to reopen the case by obtaining new elements.

As part of the evidence, the prosecution provided journalistic reports that reported the use of these farms in judicial cases as guarantees of bail bonds in high profile cases.

On September 21, 2017, La Prensa published a report entitled “Farms, the great scam to the State”. There it was reported that at least eight farms without access to electricity, water or paved access roads, which are no more than pastures or mountains, were being accepted as collateral in the Judicial Branch to release numerous bail suspects on bail. high profile crimes.

Among those who used these farms as collateral are figures involved in scandals over irregular purchases with funds from the missing  National Aid Program (PAN) and in the failed Tonosí Irrigation Project.

For example, the political coordinator of Democratic Change (CD), Porfirio Bolita Ellis; his relative Julio Ernesto Terrientes Ellis, the co-Cuban businessman Juan Carlos Marciaga, among others.

The research points to the companies Reforestadora San Cristóbal, Ysidro, SA, Inversiones La Auxiliadora, SA, Juan Palito, SA, Inversiones Kristian, SA, Ioannis, SA, and Easy Cash, SA

The fiscal view adds that these guarantor estates of release bonds and mortgage bonds do not “have the real descriptions.” That is, the information is false and was introduced through a public document.

It also shows in the fiscal view information of peace and saves of the General Directorate of Revenue that were used to support before various courts that the farms were up to date in the payment of taxes.

Regarding the crime of fraud, the MP indicated that it is duly accredited because false information was entered on the farms in the Public Registry so that they could serve as collateral.