Ex-president criminally denounced for WhatsApp revelations

Ex-president Juan Carlos  Varela has been  denounced for alleged  corruption of public servants abuse of authority and violation of duties and cover-up

Lawyer Abdiel González Tejera, who requests the seizure of the ex-president’s mobile device bases his complaint on the content of Varelaleaks, the portal that has disseminated Varela’s private messages  via WhatsApp, with officials, businessmen, journalists, family and friends between 2017 and 2018,

According to González Tejera, the communications of Varela with Attorney General Kenia Porcell would reveal a possible interference of the Executive in the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and in judicial cases linked to acts of corruption, such as bribes that Odebrecht paid in Panama.

González Tejera denounced Porcell on November 14, two days after she announced her resignation, as of January 2020. In the action against Porcell, she is accused of alleged d cover-up, abuse of authority and violation of the duties of public servants, influence peddling, corruption, and illegal association to commit crimes.

Varela has also filed a complaint over the leaks, claiming he has received threats. He also maintains that his cell phone has not been lost and that some messages were altered.