Curfew flouting party scandal puts presidency official on hot seat
The scandal of the curfew -flouting birthday party involving government employees at the La Fragata restaurant-bar on Wednesday, August 26 took a new turn on Friday bar, where a meeting was held in which officials allegedly participated when an official from the office of the presidency
He admitted that he was there but claims his meeting was for another purpose.and has now denounced journalist Mauricio Valenzuela, who posted videos of the event and of protesting neighbors banging pots and pans.
Roberto Gómez Posso, an official assigned to the office of the Presidency (with a $4,000 a month salary, whose badge was found in the place, has criminally sued the communicator Mauricio Valenzuela, who is on the staff of the digital medium Foco Panamá.
Gómez Posso, after admitting that he was in La Fragata that night, accused Valenzuela of “robbery” and “assault.” He said that at the moment he was leaving the parking lot of the restaurant bar in a vehicle, Valenzuela opened the door, reached in, hit him on the mouth, and pulled his jacket. He added that he had $ 1,507 in one of the suit pockets and his ID in the other.
Since March, restaurants have been prohibited from serving customers or holding meetings on their premises as a preventive measure against the coronavirus. Neither can meetings be held.
Coincidence
Gómez Posso claims that he was not “at any party.” And told La Prensa “I was invited by a professor friend of mine to go to pick up some academic documents, while he was meeting with his friend, the owner of La Fragata. When. I arrived, I was received in the owner’s office, we held our meeting and 15 or 20 minutes later, we heard the noise of the demonstration taking place outside, ”he added.
He identified the professor as Ernesto Rapon, who is on the Colón Municipality’s payroll, as a legal advisor, with a monthly salary of $2,500. Rapon is a figure close to PRD deputy Jairo Bolota Salazar, who on Thursday railed in the National Assembly against Foco and the protesters.
Mauricio Valenzuela told La Prensa that the complaint against him filed is a “clear example of how officials use their positions to intimidate citizens.”
Regarding the content of the complaint, he said that he did not have possession of any of Gómez Posso’s belongings, except for the badge and regrets that Gómez Posso seeks to divert attention in this way.
“As a platform, we seek to generate social actions and reactions, and we will continue to do that,” he said.
Sanctions
On Friday the Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, promised that “If it is shown that there were officials in the place, they will be punished.”
So far the only concrete action was by the National Customs Authority (ANA), which suspended Alisson Staff, who last Wednesday shared photos on her Instagram stories, of a birthday party at La Fragata.
According to data published by Foco Panama, in front of La Fragata were vehicles with official badges of Alcibiades Jiménez Franco, Leidys Araúz Cedeño, María De La Hoz and José Madrid, all officials of the Health Ministry.
The digital site also shared videos of women coming down from an apartment located in the building as La Fragata. They were carrying party balloons and, according to the digital media, neighbors reported that this movement took place at 1 am The clothing of one of them, matches the clothes worn by a fashion designer that appears in the photos that Staff shared on her Instagram account.
In June, the Minsa imposed a fine of $50,000 on Jimmy’s barbecue for hosting a meeting of the leadership and deputies of the PRD. The party was also fined $50,000.
If President Cortizo lives up to his promise to root out malefactors, heads will roll.
