American Ambassador Cabrera Says There is More Information in Annette Planells’ File to Come to Light
“Besides the WhatsApp messages that have been seen and what has come to light, our government has much more information,” Cabrera said.
Tensions escalated this Thursday after the United States ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, made it clear that his government has more information about Annette Planells than has been made public so far. According to the diplomat, these elements support the previously issued statements, which have called into question the public image of the former president and former member of the board of directors of the newspaper La Prensa. Cabrera explained that the investigations are not limited to what has already been published in the media or disseminated on social networks, and stressed that there is additional information about Planells in the possession of the U.S. government.
“Besides the WhatsApp messages that have been seen and what has come to light, our government has much more information,” he told Panamanian journalists. The messages he referred to correspond to notarized conversations between lawyer Karisma Karamañites, Annette Planells, staff of the digital media outlet Foco and a lawyer from the firm Morgan & Morgan. In those exchanges, the Supreme Court of Justice is mentioned as a possible mechanism to disqualify the candidacy of the current president, José Raúl Mulino, in a political context marked by the previous ruling of the Electoral Tribunal against Ricardo Martinelli and the Realizando Metas and Alianza parties.
After several days of silence, Planells issued a brief statement in which he attributed the criticism to publications in La Prensa related to Louis Sola, former chairman of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission. However, the ambassador rejected that explanation, stating that he was unaware of Sola’s letter until Planells made it public. “To think that everything is due to that issue is a mistake,” he clarified. Cabrera also referred to the recognition given to Planells in December 2023 by the administration of then-President Joe Biden, when she was distinguished as an “anti-corruption champion.” According to the diplomat, the current administration of President Donald Trump is reviewing and correcting past decisions.
“Awarding an anti-corruption prize to someone known for practices contrary to those values is absurd,” he stated, noting that the recent declarations seek to rectify that recognition. The ambassador’s statement marks a turning point in the narrative that has surrounded Planells for years and opens a new chapter in a controversy that crosses borders, involves actors of political, judicial and media power, and continues to generate strong repercussions inside and outside of Panama.
