Corruption alive and well in Panama

At least 10 officials of the government of President of Cortizo, are under criminal investigations since the pandemic began in March 2020. On taking office Cortizo promised no one would be immune from the law.

One of the cases that caused the greatest outcry was the food bags scandal of the Panama Solidario program.

More than 500 bags destined for people affected by Covid-19 were found at the home of Julio Caballero, an official of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) in June. The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office charged Caballero, who had a monthly salary of $4000, Rodolfo Chamorro and Julio Palacios, also from the MOP, for alleged crimes against the public administration. The other involved is Juan Carlos Brin, coordinator of plans and programs of the Ministry of the Presidency.

The Public Ministry (MP) raided Caballero’s house in San Francisco and carried out a visual inspection at the Ministry of the Presidency, led by Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo, head of Panamá Solidario.

Currently, none of them exercise public functions and have precautionary measures for periodic notification.

Shelter abuse
After a series of complaints of alleged physical, sexual and psychological abuse in shelters under the responsibility of the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family (Senniaf), the MP accused Michael Olson, former director of protection of the entity, last May, for alleged child abuse. His connection to the case is given by the work in the Senniaf when the current governor of the province of Panama, Carla García, served as deputy director of this entity. The case dates from mid-2020 and is related to the transfer of minors to the Vida Libre Refuge, which serves adults with drug addictions, one of whom would have sexually abused an adolescent.

When the Senniaf scandal broke and Cortizo appointed García governor, Olson went with her, as an advisor, with a salary of $2,800. The Public Ministry maintains the precautionary measures to prevent them from leaving the country and weekly notification.

Swabs scandal
One of the most recent scandals has been that of Leonardo Labrador and his wife Ana Lorena Chang, former National Chief of Epidemiology and former Regional Director of Public Health, respectively, at the Ministry of Health (Minsa).

Both were suspended after it became known that they are directors of the company A&L Medic, which under the commercial name Sermedic, swabbed travelers at the Amador dock, where ships bound for the islands of the Gulf of Panama are boarded.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has spent a week compiling information to support the commission of possible crimes, such as influence peddling or use of privileged information.

Taxi licenses
Another case under investigation that involves two officials is the sale of taxi operation certificates issued by the Transportation Authority (ATTT).

The former ATTT legal advisor, Rodolfo Mena,  and Dionisia Moreno, from the National Public Services Authority (ASEP), are being investigated.

In an accusation hearing, a court of guarantees ordered the preventive detention of both, as well as the separation of their positions. The MP links them to the alleged commission of crimes of corruption of public servants. They are accused of selling quotas between $4,000 and $12,000, each.

In July 2019, Rubiela Pitano, newly appointed general director of the National Secretariat for Disability, submitted her resignation after the MP requested a hearing on charges of alleged mishandling of payroll by the former deputy of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, Rubén De León, between 2016 and 2017. The case was raised due to a complex cause and is still under investigation, due to the fact that judicial times were extended due to the pandemic.