The Red Devils or Diablo Rojos are Back in the News

The fleet of diablos rojos—red devils in English—were a Panamanian hallmark. They were school buses from the United States that were purchased, repaired and managed in Panama City, almost exclusively by their own drivers through public and private co-ops, who made up their own schedules and routes and were the buses for the masses for many years in Panama City.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office requested an acquittal verdict for the former directors of the Land Transit and Transport Authority (ATTT) Ricardo Fábrega, Juan Pablo Mora, Roberto Moreno Olivares and Ventura Euribiades Vega during the arguments made in the trial against 187 people for the commission of the crime of embezzlement due to irregularities in the compensation process for “diablo rojo” or Red Devil type buses.  During the prosecution’s arguments, which lasted five days, anti-corruption prosecutors Blanca Jiménez, Ilka Poveda, Anilú Batista, Edwin Juárez, Pedro Menacho and Mahmad Daud Hasan presented their final arguments on the connection with the process of transporters, providers of collective passenger transport services and public servants. According to audit reports from the Comptroller General of the Republic, it involves about $24 million dollars.

In their arguments, the anti-corruption prosecutors argued that the former directors of the ATTT were not responsible for the irregularities detected in the bus compensation process, since there was a commission in charge of managing the process. The prosecution requested convictions for 164 people and acquittal for another 15 people.  Among the people for whom the prosecution requested a conviction is César Zapata, who served as head of the ATTT’s Directorate of Vehicle Services and Control and a member of the Evaluation Commission. A conviction was also requested for Rolando Urriola, who served as coordinator of the Public Transportation Registration and Documentation Department and was part of the Evaluation Commission. In addition, he served on the technical evaluation commission and was in charge of reassignments, transfers and updates of operating certificates.

The request was also made for a conviction of Rafael Castillo Achurra and César Augusto Riquelme, who served as compensation managers and had direct relations with the transporters. In addition, a conviction was requested for several officials of the Presidential Secretariat of Goals, who had a relationship with the compensation process.  In its last day of arguments, the Public Prosecutor’s Office focused on the alleged responsibility of the officials who at the time were part of the Technical Evaluation Commission for the process of economic compensation for the delivery of buses, both from the ATTT and the Secretariat of Goals.  The trial, which has been taking place since June 3 at the Training and Recreation Center (CEFRE) of the Social Security Fund (CSS) in Las Cumbres, has 187 defendants. They are represented by 88 technical defenders and 6 public defenders.

At the end of 2010, the Panamanian government announced their investment in a fleet of public buses and a metro network that would replace the red devils at the end of 2011, alleging that they were obsolete and, in most cases, dangerous on the streets. In addition, the red devils’ drivers would have to fill several new requirements to keep working, including a ban of on-board music and needing a driver’s license—something that, because the system was unregulated, was not checked before. But these policies were eventually shut down, and the diablos rojos returned to the streets.