Lack of government commitment to fight corruption — report

There is a lack of commitment from the government of Ricardo Martinelli in fighting corruption says a new report on the state of corruption in Panama.

The Foundation for the Development of Citizen Freedom, the local chapter of Transparency International, (TI) gave the administration a failing grade for the second consecutive year in its   corruption report and points out  that there are no sanctions against those who misuse public funds,  or use influence-peddling and abuse of power for themselves, their relatives or their political party.

The report blames the government for not having a "national integrity plan" that identifies the areas most vulnerable to corruption, and to propose alternatives to shield these processes.

It also acknowledges a lack of clear rules and policies aimed at reducing "excessive discretion" of public servants.

The report mentions the major corruption scandals uncovered by journalists. Most have ended with the dismissal of the heads of the agencies involved or the transfer of powers of the institution. "There has been no exemplary punishment," notes the document.

"This results in impunity, which serves to provide more incentives for corruption," it adds.

Earlier this month, TI released the results of the index of perception of corruption, in which Panama gained 3.3 points on a scale where zero is "very corrupt" and 10 "very transparent".