President Mulino in Colón – Handed over Property Titles – Discussed Margarita Island – Greeted the Local Children

‘This is just another mess,’ Mulino said, referring to the conflict on Margarita Island.  President José Raúl Mulino, who has repeatedly questioned the current concessionaires of the port project on Margarita Island, distanced himself from the internal conflict between the partners and denied having any knowledge of the entry of alleged American investors who would supposedly inject capital into the project.  “I have nothing to do with the conflict that arose or with the businessmen who supposedly entered the country now, because they’re Americans. They won’t tell me that story, because I know the story; I know how that concession was made. If the one for the ports (apparently referring to Panama Ports Company) is a sham, this one is even sham-ier,” the president said this Friday, August 1, during a tour of the province of Colón. 

Mulino emphasized his interest in resolving the conflict, and in fact, last April the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) rescinded two concession contracts for the development of a port and container yard on Margarita Island, in the district of Cristóbal. The first is in the name of Panama Colon Container Port (PCCP); the second was awarded to a subsidiary company called United Crown Construction Inc. Both are headed by Bahamian citizen Dion Bowe, who last June filed four constitutional guarantee appeals before the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) against the AMP’s orders, which has allowed him—for the time being—to maintain the concessions. 

The president stated this Friday that what happened with the PCCP has “slowed down” the development of the Colon region, paralyzed millions of dollars in investment, and blocked job creation, “while the central government looked the other way.”  “I’m not looking the other way. Margarita Island will be built properly, and it’s a port that will create jobs, investment, and a better life for everyone who works there,” he emphasized.  So far this year, Mulino has addressed this issue several times. The first was on April 24, when he announced that his government, which took office on July 1, 2024, would no longer “push” the PCCP project. And the most recent was last week, when he stated that he would exclude “corrupt” companies from Margarita Island.