Ex tourism boss asked for $1 million bribe – allegation

THE FORMER Administrator of the Panama Tourism Authority, Salomon Shamah asked for a $1 million coima (bribe)to free Mayte Pellegrini,, jailed since 2012 after being accused of financial crimes over the alleged embezzlement of $ 12million at the now closed Financial Pacific (FP) brokerage
Pellegrini refused to pay and is still behind bars.

The allegation against Shamah was made by Pellegrini on Friday, October 31 during a preliminary extended statement to the Fourteenth Circuit Attorney.
In the first investigation, on November 22, 2012, Pellegrini said there was an account at FP called High Spirit held by then President Ricardo Martinelli,which was used to manipulate the stock market with shares in Minera Petaquilla, reports La Prensa.
But then, on December 26, 2012, it agreed to retract the accusations against Martinelli in exchange for her and her family exiting prison. The agreement was met halfway.
Her brother Carlos Pellegrini was released on January 26, 2013, but she remained, because, she said on Friday, she refused to pay a bribe asked by Shamah. The request for money was made by Mauricio Ceballos, then Pellegrin’s attorney.
“Salomon Shamah wanted me to give him a million dollars to fulfill part of the deal to release me and based his request on a statement from West Valdes ex FP, that I had a textile company in Peru, which is totally false” said Pellegrini.
She decided not to pay the million dollar bribe and on February 29, 2013 hired the lawyer Zulay Rodriguez, current deputy of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) and a harsh critic of Martinelli.
From that day, she was sent to the Women’s Rehabilitation Centre and was held in solitary confinement for eight months and was not allowed to testify until last Friday.

La Prensa attempted to phone Shamah to obtain his views but got no reply.