Supreme Court backs Comptroller in checks to dead people scam

Panama’s Supreme Court has  endorsed the decision of the Comptroller, Federico Humbert , to refuse endorsement of payments involved the hiring of personnel for professional and temporary services. in the National Assembly which  icluded irregularities like checks made out to deceased persons.

The decision was  produced by resolving an appeal presented by the Assembly in 2018, under the presidency of Yanibel Ábrego , to establish the validity of the Comptroller’s actions, which he had detected through audits.

The Third Administrative Dispute Chamber of the Supreme Court declared that it is not legally viable to endorse the payment of the payroll of trusted personnel of the deputies of the National Assembly (form 080).

The ruling, dated December 6, 2019, favors the decision of the Comptroller General of the Republic not to endorse the disbursement of payments related to said return.

The decision of the Third Chamber, under the presentation of Judge Cecilio Cedalise, argues that it is not legally viable to endorse payments to officials within that form.

In 2018, the National Assembly, then chaired by Yanibel Ábrego, through lawyer Carlos Carrillo, submitted a request for the Third Chamber to assess the legal viability of the payment of said return, after the comptroller, , denied the disbursement of the resources.

Humbert provided as evidence a report on which the suspension measure is based, following a series of irregularities found on some officials who appeared working in the National Assembly, but were relatives of the deputies.

On June 5, 2018, form 080 was suspended by order of the comptroller because the investigations carried out by the Comptroller’s Office revealed serious irregularities. For example, that some deceased people cashed checks.

Following the findings of the audits on the management of the returns, the comptroller Humbert filed several complaints before the Supreme Court of Justice against deputies of different banks for the alleged irregular handling of the funds.

Those reported include members of the Democratic Revolutionary Party Rubén De Léon, Leandro Ávila, Felipe Vargas, Athenas Athanasiadis. And  Democratic Change Marilyn Vallarino, Mario Miller and Aris De Ycaza.

He also denounced Francisco Alemán, of the Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (Molirena), and Jorge Alberto Rosas, of the Panamanian Party.

In the case of Rosas, Athanasiadis and De Ycaza, the Court moved  processes to the Office of the Attorney General, after they lost their status as deputies on June 30, 2019 after not having been reelected The same must happen in the case of the complaint against former deputy Mario Miller and Felipe Vargas, who were also not re-elected.

The Court also rejected an amparo of guarantees to the former president of the Assembly Yanibel Abrego against the decision of the Comptroller