Patria Portugal a Former Ombudsman Could Receive a Reduced Jail Sentence in the Coming Days
The Ministry of Government published this Monday the list of 188 inmates who could receive reduced sentences, in accordance with the law and the Panamanian Constitution.
On Monday, July 14, the Ministry of Government issued the list of 188 prisoners who are eligible to receive reduced sentences in the coming days, as established by the Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama. Among those who will benefit is former Ombudsman Patria Portugal. Starting today and for three consecutive days, a list of inmates seeking a sentence reduction is being published in a national newspaper, as established by Law 31 of May 28, 1998, on the protection of victims of crime. The purpose of this publication is to guarantee victims’ right to be informed and to object, if they so deem appropriate, to the benefit requested by inmates.
Objections must be submitted in writing to the General Directorate of the Penitentiary System (DGSP) at oposiciondgsp@mingob.gob.pa. According to Article 184 of the Constitution of the Republic of Panama, it is the power of the President to decree pardons, reduce sentences or grant conditional release, provided that the requirements established in Article 112 of the Penal Code and in Article 99 of Executive Decree 393 of July 2005, which regulates the operation of the penitentiary system, are met.
What is the Case against Patria Portugal?
On Tuesday, June 20, 2023, the Attorney General’s Office enforced the 8-year prison sentence of former Ombudsman Patria Portugal in Plaza Ágora after the hearing concluded. “At the request of the Compliance Section of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the conviction of former Ombudsman Patria Portugal, sentenced to 96 months in prison for aggravated embezzlement against the Ombudsman’s Office, which occurred in 2012, is being enforced,” the entity reported on social media. Agents from the National Directorate of Judicial Investigation proceeded with the arrest of the former official after completing a hearing requested by the Prosecutor’s Office. Portugal had been accused of signing two contracts, one for $249,845 and another for $199,983, with companies to redesign the institution’s website.
