Debt collectors $8 million spending spree

JUST a few months after debt collecting company Cobranzas del Istmo was hired by the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI) hired the company to collect delinquent taxes, the company’s representative of this María Alessandra Salerno Gómez, went on a spending spree and began purchasing luxury apartments and business space totaling some $8 million.

Between October and December 2013, Salerno Gómez acquired at least 20 units in San Francisco, Punta Pacifica and Parque Lefevre. Interestingly, all were bought from companies linked to businessman Gabriel Btesh, a close associate of former President Ricardo Martinelli.
Btesh was also linked to the titling of a large parcel of land in Paitilla that later resulted in criminal charges against the florist who benefitted from that move and received a lucrative parking concession at Tocumen International Airport. He also accompanied Martinelli on an expensive vacation to Sardinia in 2011, paid for with funds provided by Valter Lavítola, an Italian citizen who has been convicted on corruption charges repors La Prensa.
One of the buildings, H2O on Balboa Avenue, also hosted a call center used by Democratic Change (CD) operatives to attack opponents of Martinelli. Cobranzas del Istmo purchased office space in that building within weeks of obtaining the contract, which would eventually result in earnings of more than $47 million.
The transaction was done in the name of the company Inmobiliaria H2O E, whose directors include Salerno Gómez.
There are also allegations being raised that Cobranzas del Istmo was used to purchase equipment for the call center. On Jan. 25, 2011, it requested a $500,0 00 line of credit from Multibank. One of the conditions of the loan was that “the money must be used exclusively for call center equipment.”
That same day, Multibank issued a loan of $1.6 million to Inmobiliaria H2O E. The agreement did not specify what the loan was for.
DGI Director Publius Cortes has requested the seizure of all properties and accounts linked to the companies and to Salerno Gómez due to allegations of tax evasion.
Salerno Gómez has not yet been charged.