Prosecutors Raid the Home of the Former Director of Ifarhu and Confiscate His Vehicle
A high-end pickup truck belonging to Meneses was confiscated.
Last night, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office conducted a search warrant at the residence of Bernardo Meneses pictured below, the former director of the Institute for the Training and Utilization of Human Resources (Ifarhu), located in Villa Marina, Playa Dorada district, in West Panama. During the operation, authorities seized a black pickup truck, allegedly his property, which was parked in the driveway of the home. Meneses has not been able to justify the cash purchase of a second-hand Honda Pilot, valued at $17,000.
The former director of Ifarhu, who also works as a university professor, is being held provisionally for the crime of unjust enrichment. According to an audit report from the Comptroller General’s Office, an unjustified increase in assets of $419,331 was detected, an amount that exceeds the assets Meneses declared during his tenure at Ifarhu between 2019 and 2023. He was also charged with money laundering and embezzlement, related to an alleged loss of assets totaling $24 million in the handling of financial aid provided by the institution. Meneses’s legal defense has filed an appeal, the hearing of which has been scheduled for the coming days.
