26 heading for trial in Blue Apple laundering case

The Third Criminal Liquidator Court of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama has opened a criminal case against 26 citizens, for the alleged commission of four crimes in the case known as Blue Apple.

The trial date is set from June 20 to July 1, 2022. and an alternate date is scheduled from August 16 to 26, 2022.

According to the Judicial Branch, the group of 26 people committed crimes against the public faith (falsification of documents), collective security (illicit association), public administration (corruption of public servants) and the economic order (money laundering).

On August 10, the third judge for Settlement of Criminal Cases, Baloisa Marquínez, after concluding the preliminary hearing, accepted the term to give her decision.

51 alleged implicated persons attended the preliminary hearing. Marquínez accepted the term established by law due to the voluminous nature of the file, which is made up of at least 320 volumes. Also for the number of alleged implicated in the investigation.

The Public Ministry began the investigation on October 30, 2017, after a police intelligence report warned about the diversion of large sums of money through the Blue Apple company, with the purpose of laundering money from the payment of bribes delivered by the concession of infrastructure works.