Ex Assembly president facing scam charges

Former National Assembly president and PRD deputy   Rubén De León will appear in  court  on August 6  to face charges of  alleged anomalies in his legislative forms

The case advanced by the Public Ministry has its genesis in the collection of checks linked to the forms of the National Assembly.

Sumari Chong, who identifies herself as a victim, testified before the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor that she received over $15,000 – in two bank transfers – from her politician aunt Rubiela Pitano, and that money does not belong to her.

The funds, in accordance with what was collected by the prosecution, would come from the legislative forms that were assigned to De León in the past five years.

A first hearing will verify Chong’s banking information. That same day another procedure will be held to charge De León and Pitano, who was appointed by President  Laurentino Cortizo as director of the National Disability Secretariat (Senadis).

De León was elected deputy of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) and will be sworn in next September. If the prosecution wants to prosecute him, it must do so before the Parlacen first plenary session.

After that, the case would remain in the hands of the Supreme Court of Justice, which is responsible for investigating the deputies.

Multi-millions
De León, who was president of the Assembly on two occasions, was one of the deputies of the 2014-2019 period who received most funds as payroll and legislative contracts. In total, he received $6.4 million: $2 million in donations and the rest in payroll, according to the Comptroller General

77% of the $2 million that De León received in donations was given in 2016, the same period in which De León was president of the Assembly.