David District Representative Jorge Montenegro Vallarino is Rushed to the Hospital
Montenegro, who remains in pretrial detention, was transferred to the Rafael Hernández Regional Hospital.
The representative of the David Cabecera district, Jorge Montenegro Vallarino, who remains under the precautionary measure of provisional detention for the alleged crime of aggravated embezzlement, was transferred on Thursday night from the Chiriquí Penitentiary Center to the Rafael Hernández Regional Hospital, in the city of David, due to health complications. It was officially reported that the transfer, carried out by units of the 911 Emergency Management System, was due to an increase in blood sugar and blood pressure levels, which is why the mayor spent the night at the hospital. On Friday, medical specialists evaluated his condition to determine his state of health and the next step.
Jorge Montenegro Vallarino faces legal proceedings for embezzlement. Montenegro and his treasurer, above left, are in the eye of the storm.
Montenegro Vallarino faces this legal process following a judge’s decision to order his provisional detention after the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office successfully legalized his arrest and formally charged him. The case involves alleged financial losses to the State exceeding $4.4 million, linked to the investigation known as “parallel decentralization,” which took place between 2019 and 2024 within the David Community Board. The representative, a member of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), voluntarily surrendered on December 23 to the Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) after learning of an arrest warrant issued against him. He was subsequently placed in the custody of the appropriate authorities and incarcerated in the provincial penitentiary.
