A Red Notice has been Issued Against Panama’s Saúl Méndez by Interpol
Saúl Méndez’s whereabouts have not been officially confirmed. With the publication of this Red Notice, Interpol’s 196 member countries are authorized to provisionally detain Méndez.
It has been reported that Saúl Méndez has left Bolivia because the upcoming elections there have created uncertainty about his status. The union leader is speculated to be in Venezuela. The National Police reported this Friday that the Interpol General Secretariat issued a red notice against Saúl Méndez, who is wanted in Panama for alleged aggravated fraud, criminal conspiracy, and document forgery.
The request, according to the report, was processed by the Second Specialized Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime through the National Central Office of Interpol Panama, as part of an ongoing investigation related to a complex financial fraud scheme that allegedly affected multiple individuals and entities. “With the publication of this Red Notice, the 196 Interpol member countries have been alerted and are authorized to locate and provisionally detain Méndez, with a view to his subsequent extradition to Panama to face the charges against him,” the statement reads.
The Red Notice is one of the most effective instruments of international police cooperation. Authorities urge anyone with information on Méndez’s whereabouts to confidentially contact Interpol Panama. Brazil has also been mentioned. Méndez, who has been the general secretary of the National Union of Construction and Similar Workers (Suntracs) since 2010, departed Saturday afternoon on a commercial flight from Panama to the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz.
President José Raúl Mulino addressed the departure of the secretary of the National Union of Construction and Related Workers (Suntracs), Saúl Méndez, from the Bolivian embassy, where he was receiving political asylum. “That’s not even worth talking about, he’s an international fugitive now,” the president said, after being questioned about the leader’s move. On Thursday, July 24, Saúl Méndez left the Bolivarian diplomatic mission, where he had sought refuge since May 22 after receiving an arrest warrant from the Panamanian justice system.
The decision was announced by the Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in Panama in a note addressed to the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which did not include the leader’s next destination. By leaving the embassy, the union secretary would be renouncing the protection afforded him by international agreements. Interpol issued a red alert for his arrest today, Friday, July 25. Méndez is accused of alleged fraud and money laundering, in relation to a complaint filed in 2022 by members of Suntracs pictured above and other leaders. Newsroom Panamá received information that the leader would be traveling to Venezuela.
