Héctor Brands Upon his Return to Panama After Being Rejected by the U.S. “My Life is Already Complicated Enough”
Upon his return to Panama, Brands declined to comment, instead asking for consideration, claiming to be going through a difficult time.
Héctor Brands, former director of Pandeportes and former congressman, boarded two flights this Friday, October 24th, but not due to stopovers: one was an outbound flight and the other a return flight. The former Cortizo administration official departed in the morning for Miami and had to return to Panama in the late afternoon after U.S. immigration authorities refused to admit him. Although the National Immigration Service in Panama questioned his travel to the United States, nothing could be done because there was no exit ban. Upon his return to Panama, Brands declined to comment, instead asking for consideration because he claims to be going through a difficult time. “My life is already complicated enough. Consider me a little,” he said after being questioned by a photographer a local newspaper.
The former congressman is also the subject of judicial investigations for alleged deposits of more than $27 million into his accounts without any apparent justification. In addition, the UAF reported to national authorities that Brands has carried out 39 suspicious transactions involving 38 bank accounts and more than 28,000 transactions. According to information available so far, the transactions allegedly occurred between 2019 and 2025, but their final recipient is still unknown. Last September, his lawyer, Pedro Meilán, confirmed that he was still in the country and would attend to review the investigation opened by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
