President Mulino Is in Paris France to Get Off the List of Tax Havens

President José Raúl Mulino landed Sunday, October 20, in Paris, France, as part of his official tour seeking the support of the French government to leave the list of tax havens of the European Union (EU).  He will have a three-day official tour in that country. Accompanied by a delegation made up of Camilo Valdés, Director General of Revenue and expert on the subject of tax lists; Milton Ayón, Superintendent of Banks; Javier Martínez Acha, Foreign Minister; Miguel Antonio Bernal, Ambassador Designate in France, and Carlos Raúl Moreno, President of the Action Group for International Financial Equality (GAFIPI), President Mulino indicated that his mission will be to strengthen diplomatic relations with France and to make clear Panama’s position to reject the discriminatory list of the EU. He said the goal is to get France to help Panama get off the tax list and to ensure that “this injustice” does not continue to be committed. “We do not launder money as a matter of state policy, much less finance terrorism, nor are we in a position to sponsor international scoundrels,” said the president.

He clarified that Panama has no differences with the Government of France or the European Parliament.  However, he stressed that as president he has set himself the task of demonstrating to the authorities of France, and the rest of Europe, that the inclusion of Panama in this tax list is unfounded.  In a statement from the Presidency, it is stressed that the Panamanian authorities reaffirmed that Panama is excessively complying with the regulations and measures that prevent the crimes condemned by the EU list.  He added that for 11 years, no Panamanian president has been received on an official visit at the Elysee Palace, the seat of the French presidency.  Earlier this month, EU member states agreed to remove Antigua and Barbuda from their blacklist of tax havens, a decision that reduced the list to eleven jurisdictions that they consider non-cooperative for tax purposes and which maintains Panama on the list despite the fact that the European Commission removed it from the list of third countries that pose a high risk to the European financial system.