Lombana Accuses La Prensa of Rigging the Election and Damaging Democracy

Former presidential candidate Ricardo Lombana emphasized this Saturday that the newspaper La Prensa had full knowledge of the actions orchestrated by its former director, Annette Planells.  “The impartiality of ‘La Prensa’ will not be won with letters from the Board of Directors washing their hands of the matter,” Lombana wrote in X.  He added: “I know for a fact that they were fully aware of how that media outlet conspired to deceive the public with its manipulated publications.”  “They have done a lot of damage to the democracy they once helped to restore,” he said.  His reaction comes after La Prensa issued a statement distancing itself from Planells’ actions. 

Following the scandal sparked by the revelations of lawyer Karisma Karamañites, Corporación La Prensa, SA (Corprensa) disassociates itself from the actions of Annette Planells, stating that it does not support the actions of someone who was part of its board of directors and later president of that media outlet.  The newspaper clarifies that Planells’ incorporation into the Board of Directors and her subsequent appointment as president “was carried out under three clear and express conditions, which she accepted.”  According to the newspaper, Planells had to sever all ties with the digital media outlet Foco, suspend all political activism, and address and resolve the conflict of interest that his incorporation into this corporation entailed. 

The media outlet explains that this was because “his brother, Mr. Juan Carlos Planells, served as the company’s general manager.”  According to La Prensa, this situation had been “previously raised with Mr. Planells, who even expressed his agreement with his imminent dismissal from Corprensa.”  “Ms. Planells requested a reasonable timeframe to address this third requirement, which was granted in a spirit of good faith and institutional trust. However, given her decision not to comply with this condition, she herself chose to terminate all relations with Corporación La Prensa, SA,” sources from 12 de Octubre stated.