The Arraiján–La Chorrera Highway Case: Court Overturns Acquittal and Convicts Federico Suárez for Embezzlement
Federico Suárez pictured below was Minister of Public Works in Ricardo Martinelli’s government.
The Superior Court for the Liquidation of Criminal Cases overturned a ruling by the First Court for the Liquidation of Criminal Cases and sentenced former Minister of Public Works Federico Suárez (2009–2012) to eight years in prison for the crime of embezzlement, in relation to the construction of the Arraiján–La Chorrera Highway. In ruling No. 27 of December 1, 2025, the Superior Court of Liquidation of Criminal Cases decided to amend the sentence issued by the First Court of Liquidation of Criminal Cases, which had acquitted all those investigated in the embezzlement case linked to this road project. The ruling also sentenced Daniel Ochy, Alcides Velásquez, Miguel González Martínez, and Lester Simón Mendoza to eight years in prison for embezzlement.
Additionally, Éder Antonio Márquez and Eduardo Antonio Rodríguez were each sentenced to six years in prison. Likewise, the acquittal of Marco Antonio Saavedra was confirmed. In April 2025, Judge Agueda Renteria acquitted all those implicated in this investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, ruling that the existence of harm to the State could not be conclusively proven. However, the Public Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal. During the trial held on February 29, 2024, anti-corruption prosecutor Ariel De Gracia requested a guilty verdict against the defendants, considering that the accused caused a financial loss amounting to $7.8 million. The Arraiján–La Chorrera Highway, which was initially estimated to cost $152.6 million, ended up costing $161.8 million, after the approval of several addenda that increased its value.
