Panama Prison ‘Tinajitas’ is Where Publio De Gracia Landed Before Being Transferred to La Nueva Joya Penitentiary Tuesday.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated the investigation against Publio De Gracia following an audit report that revealed alleged unjustified enrichment and the use of that money for the purchase of movable goods and payment of credit cards.
Former Director General of Revenue, Publio De Gracia pictured below, was transferred Tuesday to La Nueva Joya prison by order of the Directorate of the Penitentiary System.
Quintero reported that on Tuesday morning he received information that De Gracia was transferred from the Tinajitas prison, where he had been since August 11, after a judge charged him with the alleged crimes of unjust enrichment and money laundering. Tinajitas and La Nueva Joya are separate correctional facilities in Panama that differ significantly in their location, age, size, and role within the prison system.
Tinajitas Prison.
- Location: Situated in the urban area of Torrijos Carter, San Miguelito, within the northern part of the Panama City metropolitan area.
- Type and Age: It is an older, smaller-scale local detention and penitentiary center.
- Conditions: Because it is older and closer to the city center, it operates on a more confined local level, though it still faces structural and administrative challenges common in Panama’s penal system.
La Nueva Joya Penitentiary.
Conditions: It features newer architecture and technological security systems designed to improve control and reduce the intense congestion seen in older institutions, though the broader complex has still experienced high-security challenges and systemic pressures.
Location: Located much further east of Panama City in the Pacora/Las Garzas area, as part of the massive La Joya, La Joyita, and La Nueva Joya prison complex.
Type and Age: It is a newer, large-scale modern penitentiary built specifically to replace or ease the severe overcrowding found in the older neighboring facilities of La Joya and La Joyita.
