Cushy community deal for money launderer appealed

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has announced the presentation of an appeal against the decision of a compliance court to replace a five-year prison sentence with one day for community work to  Raúl De Saint Malo, convicted of money laundering through the Brazilian company  Odebrecht.

The decision has raised concerns in Panama about continuing impunity for high profile malefactors. De Saint Malo is the brother of Panama’s vice-president and Chancellor in the previous administration, and made a plea deal but has never spent a day behind bars.

In a communication via twitter, the Public Ministry announced the decision taken by the anti-corruption prosecutor of discharge, Adecio Mojica, to announce the appeal in this case.