Panamas ruling elite globetrotters

PANAMA’S CHIEF  magistrate, Jose Ayu Prado is not alone in his globetrotting forays.

The  Ministry of the Presidency has spent $800,000 on travel expenses so far, sending 150 officials to destinations around the world.

The trips have raised questions about whether or not they are the best use of state resources reports La Prensa

For example, Michelle Gonzalez, an executive assistant, has been allocated $34,650 in travel expenses.

Gonzalez has traveled to Turkey, Argentina, Guatemala and France, among others.

A trip to South Korea in June for a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force cost $5,400 in expenses for nine days.

Gonzalez was accompanied by Security Minister Alexis Bethancourt, who then served as director of the Financial Analysis Unit.

He received the same amount in expenses.

The law regulates how much a government official can spend in allowances while on a trip. That amount is determined by the level of the official and the location of the trip.

But a study of these expenses shows that there is the possibility of abuse. In some cases the amount spent is far greater than established levels says La Prensa.

For example  such as when Miguel Esbri, executive secretary of the Secretariat of Economy of the Presidency, traveled to Madrid, Spain.

For the 11-day trip, he spent an average of $900 a day, or almost $10,000.

Trips by Panama’s (unelected)  First Lady, Lorena Castillo, have  also come under the spotlight for trips to Taiwan, Rome, Japan,  and Krakow, Poland.

So far the government of Juan Carlos Varela, the Ministry of the Presidency has allocated $ 1.3 million in ticket purchases and items for allowances for officials.

However, disbursements Presidency in these areas do not include the expenses incurred for the requirements of the president or the first lady.