Lawyers move to stall highway corruption probe

THE LAWYERS of two former public works ministers embroiled in investigations of alleged overcharges by a construction company hired to work on a highway upgrading are making legal moves to stall anticorruption prosecutors.

The ex-ministers are  Federico Suárez and Jaime Ford Castro whose attorneys are objecting to a 10-month extension granted to prosecutors to complete investigations of an alleged multi-million dollar surcharge in the rehabilitation and extension of the  Arraiján-La Chorrera, highway by Transcaribe Trading (TCT).

The former officials are being investigated for the alleged commission of crimes against the public administration. Suarez has an order to appear under escort while Ford is due to  be questioned on Wednesday.

Six months into the investigation the prosecution requested an extension to follow the process. At that time, the court granted them 8 more months, a period that has already expired and they have now been given

Now gave them another 10 months which their defense lawyers consider “excessive” and have presented an amparo (protection) request.

In addition to the protection of constitutional guarantees, the defense of Suárez filed a writ of habeas corpus, a blocking procedure before the Supreme Court . The legal action was filed in the office of the presiding judge José Ayú Prado. The investigations also involve the brothers David and Daniel Ochy, representatives of TCT.

On June 22, Daniel Ochy was ordered to be detained in the cells of the Judicial Investigation Directorate.

On the day they were detained, Daniel Ochy also went to the First Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime

in connection with alleged irregularities in a series of transactions made for the purchase of Editora Panamá América, S.A (Epasa), publishers of Panama America and Critica.