Police chief calls for respect from Martinelli

PANAMA’S National Police Director Omar Pinzón has denied statements of former p resident Ricardo Martinelli, who two weeks ago said that the entity was in possession of missing surveillance equipment.

“Here, there is nothing,” said Pinzón.He said that, during the transition of command, former Director Julio Moltó never mentioned the equipment, which was purchased in 2010 from an Israeli defense contractor for $13.4 million.
Pinzón also called on Martinelli to show respect for the agency, saying “this institution is operated based on the transparency that is part of my culture” of being a responsible policeman. reports La Prensa
The former executive secretaries of the National Security Council have been charged with illegal surveillance as part of the investigation into the disappearance of the equipment.
“This machine is held by the national police, go and look for it is there,” Martinelli said two weeks ago on Nex TV (a station he controls)..
While the equipment has gone missing, investigators have found transcripts and recordings that show that conversations were illegally intercepted from an estimated 150 people.
In Panama, intercepting communications without a court order is against the law.