The Mayor of Pocrí Panama, Manuel Soriano, is being Investigated for Embezzlement – Others Included

Panama:  The mayor of the Pocrí district in the province of Los Santos, Manuel Soriano Cedeño pictured above, was provisionally detained by order of a magistrate in connection with two of the seven cases against him for alleged embezzlement offenses. The arrest took place on Thursday during a search of his residence, and he was presented in court on Friday, where his detention was legalized. 

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office raided the residence of the Mayor of Pocri de Los Santos, Manuel Soriano

Soriano, who served as executive secretary of the National Council for Sustainable Development (Conades) between 2014 and 2018, faces seven separate investigations, each in a separate file, related to health infrastructure projects that should have been implemented during his administration.  According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, among the projects identified is one for the construction of 453 health units in Caño de Natá, Coclé province, between 2016 and 2018, with a contract of more than one million dollars , of which advances of more than $100,000 were disbursed, without any execution being recorded.

Judge Clara Montenegro ordered the preventive detention of the Mayor of Pocrí de Los Santos, Manuel Soriano, and four other individuals whom the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office accuses of embezzlement against the National Council for Sustainable Development (Conades) during the implementation of the basic health program.  During the hearing, which began at 2:00 p.m. and continued until after 10:00 p.m., seven prosecutors investigating unfulfilled contracts in communities in the country’s interior, explained to the judge a series of irregularities that led to many of the projects remaining unfinished.

Pocrí is a town and district in the Los Santos Province of Panama. It is located in the southern part of Panama, on the Azuero Peninsula. Specifically, the town of Pocrí is the capital of the Pocrí District. 

To be more precise:

• Pocrí, Los Santos:

This is the specific location of the town and is located at coordinates 7°43′48″N 80°9′0″W. 

• Pocrí District:

This district encompasses the town and surrounding area, and is located within Los Santos Province. 

• Los Santos Province:

This province is situated in the southern part of Panama, on the Azuero Peninsula. 

Network of Ministry of Finance (MEF), Ministry of Health (MINSA), and Private Individuals Implicated in Money Laundering Scheme Dismantled

A network comprised of officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Ministry of Health (MINSA), and private individuals was apprehended by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office as part of an alleged corruption and money laundering scheme involving simulated payments to private companies.  According to investigations, the group allegedly managed to divert $556,543 belonging to a private company.

Operation Acropolis: Judge Grants Periodic Reporting to MEF and MINSA Officials Implicated in Money Laundering Scheme

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office conducted raids in the provinces of Herrera and Panama

Judge Josefa Monfante imposed precautionary measures requiring periodic reporting and charged 12 individuals with corruption, document forgery, and money laundering. These included officials from the Ministry of Health (MINSA), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), and individuals who managed to steal the sum of $576,543.  The investigation began last January, when MEF officials detected that $576,543 that was supposed to be delivered to the China Construction company was diverted to accounts of the International Institute for the Treatment of Immunosuppressive Diseases (Athens) and the Salud Panamá society.  A report by the Financial Analysis Unit of the Judicial Investigation Directorate revealed that officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Ministry of Health (MINSA) received transfers ranging from $300 to $5,000. 

Former head of the Ministry of Transportation Faces Embezzlement Charges; She Invoiced More than Half a Million Dollars in Fuel

A new blow to public finances was exposed at the Ministry of Agricultural Development, where authorities revealed an alleged systematic theft of fuel valued at more than $641,000.

A new corruption case has shaken the Ministry of Agricultural Development (Mida). The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has charged the former head of the fuel supply and control section with embezzlement, and she has been provisionally detained.  According to the investigation, the former official, who was in charge of managing the coupons and receiving fuel for institutional vehicles, manipulated records and documents to cover up the alleged irregularities.