Lawmaker refutes links to organized crime

Elías Vigil, a deputy from the opposition Panameñista Party, denied in the National Assembly that he has links to organized crime and money laundering.

On Thursday, the politician assured that “again” his name appears in the media, associating him with “drug trafficking and organized crime” and that for him “is worrying”.

He also related the event to the political campaign of his party, a group that will renew its authorities on February 20.  

He also said that in the 2019 electoral contest, he presented the list of people who supported him in his campaign, before the Electoral Court (TE) .

He stated that also in 2019 and during the presidency of Juan Carlos Varela, he had “an investigation”, but did not provide more details. He added that Varela wanted another person to be seated in the seat that he occupies today in the Assembly.

“We have to put a point to the media. This cannot continue,” he said.

The deputy did not say anything about the case of his sister Teresina, who is in custody while being investigated for the alleged commission of crimes involving organized crime.

Teresina Vigil is the wife of Carlos Roberto Aguilar, alias Robert, leader of the Humildad y Purza (HP) gang, which operated in eastern Panama, and whose activities were exposed with the Damasco operation, carried out by the Crime Prosecutor’s Office. Organized and the National Police.

In 2019, an investigation by La Prensa revealed that alias Robert would have financed the campaign of today’s deputy Vigil.