Possible criminal behavior in maps contract

 A complaint alleging “reprehensible and possibly criminal behavior of public and private officials” who originated a contract with a subsidiary of the Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica  has been filed with Panama’s Supreme Court .

Minister of the Presidency Álvaro Alemán is seeking to void the 2010 contract for the provision of digital maps signed between the Ministry of Public Works and Telespazio Argentina S.A.

The contract was for the “supply, installation, maintenance, training and financing of a Digital Cartography System of the Republic of Panama.” It was part of a larger, $250 million contract between the government and Finmeccanica that has been the subject of a criminal investigation in Italy for alleged kickbacks reports La Prensa.

The complaint also says that the contract was not competitively bid and no other options for providing the equipment were considered.

Though the contract contains an arbitration clause, the government is asking the court to void the entire document