Shelter abuse and embezzlement revelations 

More details are emerging of the investigation of the Fundación Chilibre Panamá (Funchipa) –which ran a shelter in Tocumen and the part played by the former director of the center Xenia Medina,69, who was arrested on Saturday, March 6 and  in preventive detention for the alleged commission of the crimes of embezzlement and abuse of minors.

 Sources consulted by La Prensa  defined Medina as a woman “with ease of conviction to be supported in any project that she had in mind.”

  She had no fixed address as she moved every two months but was located in San Felipe, and arrested on March 6

The investigations followed by the Public  Ministry also reveal that it was she who “recruited” Xenia Moreno, the foundation’s former legal adviser – which began operations in 2009 – and who is also detained as part of the process.

The two are apparently connected by a family bond, according to sources.

In this case, there is a third detainee, Itzel De La Cruz, who faces abuse charges.

De La Cruz is pointed out by some of the victims as the person in charge of applying the “discipline.” According to the minors, she locked them in a punishment cell known as “la comarca”, left them without food and even forced them to sleep on the floor for allegedly misbehaving.

The investigation into alleged mismanagement of the subsidies assigned to the shelter by the Ministry of Social Development (Mides) is based on an audit carried out by it and covers at least $90,000

The Mides audit – which denounced the case in 2020 – detected that between April and November 2019 there were unbudgeted and unauthorized expenses.

According to the document, invoices from the center were paid with the subsidy funds for up to $92,022. In addition, professional services not contemplated were invoiced to the company Ecsa Asesores Tributarios SA, for an amount of $18.000

Funchipa also had an allocation of $7,000 for the purchase of food, but the auditors found expired food.