Sleight of hand games continue in renamed PAN
REVELATIONS that shell games regarded as rampant in the Martinelli era are still being practiced in the current administration has sent shock waves through civil society and has the National Assembly calling for explanations.
A La Prensa investigation shows that from November 2014 to April 2015, the Ministry of Housing issued at least $15.3 million in contracts through the former National Assistance Program (PAN), [now renamed the Department of Social Asistance (DAS),] for the Ceilings of Hope program.
The money was divided between the companies Royal Construction Panamá, Fiorazio de Panamá and Airco, S.A. The latter belongs to Pedro Vallarino Trombetta, who at the time was a member of the board of directors of Caja de Ahorrosa government agency,
According to DAS Director Rafael Stanziola, the contracts were properly issued despite the fact that they were manipulated so that none of them would exceed $300,000, the amount that triggers legislative oversight.
He explained that the disbursements were made within the 2014 budget and were due to commitments made by the previous administration.
Housing Minister Mario Etchelecu said that his institution has little to do with the selection process of the DAS. The National Assembly has summoned Etchelecu to provide a more detailed explanation.
The situation has raised questions because Trombetta’s company may have been ineligible to receive contracts due to his job with Caja de Ahorros, a government agency.
