A Man Has Been Ordered to Pretrial Detention for Tax Fraud Against the DGI (General Directorate of Taxation)

Panama City, Panama: A man was provisionally detained after hearings on multiple requests linked to five criminal cases, as part of an investigation carried out by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office for an alleged fraud scheme against the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI).  According to the investigations, the accused would be related to the irregular recognition of tax credits for the purchase and installation of fiscal equipment, through fraudulent resolutions that would have generated fictitious credits, causing economic damage to the State.  The Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that during the hearing the judge legalized the arrest of the citizen, admitted the formal charges for the crime against public faith and ordered the precautionary measure of provisional detention, considering the procedural risks presented by the Prosecutor’s Office. 

Progress of Operation “Etax 2.0”

This case is part of Operation “Etax 2.0,” an ongoing investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office aimed at dismantling an alleged network dedicated to manipulating tax credits to the detriment of the DGI (General Directorate of Revenue). During a preliminary hearing held in October 2025, the judge also upheld the arrests and accepted the charges presented by the Prosecutor’s Office in five separate investigations.  As a result of these proceedings, provisional detention was ordered for two former officials and two private individuals, one of them identified as a businessman, who were allegedly linked to the creation and validation of irregular tax credits.  The defense attorneys for the four defendants filed appeals.  The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and that, subsequently, a third former official was arrested that year, also identified as a suspected accomplice in this case.