Guillermo Ferrufino Surrenders to the DIJ

Arrest warrants against Ferrufino and his wife were still in force.  Former Minister of Social Development (Mides), Guillermo Ferrufino, turned himself in Monday October 7, 2024 before the Judicial Investigation Directorate (DIJ).  Ferrufino is wanted for crimes against public administration in the forms of embezzlement, corruption of public servants and unjustified enrichment, according to the National Police when reporting on his surrender at the DIJ offices in Ancón.  “In the town of Ancón, we arrested Guillermo Ferrufino, wanted for the crime Against Public Administration, in the form of Embezzlement, Corruption of Public Services and Unjustified Enrichment. — National Police (@ProtegeryServir) October 8, 2024.”

The former minister faces a 10-year prison sentence for the crimes of embezzlement and illicit enrichment.  In addition to these sentences, Ferrufino is awaiting a decision from the First Liquidation Court of Criminal Cases, after having been tried for embezzlement in relation to the rental of helicopters through the defunct National Aid Program. Until his surrender, Ferrufino – who was a minister in Ricardo Martinelli’s government from 2009 to 2014 – was a fugitive from justice. His defense had argued that there were no guarantees necessary for his client to appear before the Panamanian authorities.  “I never hid, we always presented the evidence; the cases are rigged,” the former official is heard saying in a video posted on social media, shortly before he surrendered.