Fresh scandal hits presidency

As his standing in the polls continues to plummet, another scandal has erupted around the presidency but  President Ricardo Martinelli has chosen to remain silent.

 A  Colon notary Nedelka Nava says she was called directly by the president to a meeting at the presidential palace where a journalist from Panama America was waiting. The journalist  was Santiago Fascetto , associate director ofthe newspaper. 

Since last Tuesday, the day he spoketo Navas, La Prensahas attempted to make contact through the Secretary of State, who is responsible for government communications but has failed. Phone messages to Martinelli have gone unanswered phone messages reactionMartinelli, but it was impossible.

Minister of the Presidency, Demetrio Papadimitriu  has asked the attorney general, Jose Ayú Prado, to investigate the supposed deviation of funds  by the notary t finance the opposition Panamanista Party whose president is Juan Carlos  Varela, who was fired by Martinelli from his role as foreign minister, but still remains Vice President, an elected position.

Martinelli and Varela have been involved in increasingly acrimonious war of words .
Meanwhile, former Minister of Finance Mario Galindo said he was surprised that Martinelli "abrogates to himself without any right to do so, to call a notary to the  Presidency to give information to a newspaper, which he controls.”

Navas in a letter to Varela said   that the stories written in Panama America were not true. The Martinelli controlled newspaper said that she had denounced the deviation of funds to an anonymous society to finance the Panamanista party. She said: “I never went to Panama America to denounce anyone. I was contacted by phone by the President of the Republic and given an appointment with a journalist who identified himself as Facetto.”