For an Analyst from the DGI and a Manager of Operation Pandora, the Panama Prosecutor is Requesting Pretrial Detention
Pictured below are prosecutors Emeldo Márquez and Dagoberto Alvarado at the Pandora case appeal hearing. The judges of the High Court of Appeals decreed a recess until next Thursday to deliver their verdict.
In Panama’s Operation Pandora, the public prosecutor requested provisional detention for a DGI tax analyst and a manager/handler amid a $40 million tax fraud scheme.
Case Background
- The Scheme: Suspects allegedly manipulated the digital E-Tax 2.0 system at Panama’s Dirección General de Ingresos (DGI) to delete real taxpayer records and create false tax credits.
- The Impact: These fake credits were then illegally sold to financial institutions, creating an estimated $40 million loss for the state.
- Current Status: Over 16 individuals have been arrested, with multiple suspects held under provisional detention as the Organismo Judicial reviews ongoing appeals and precautionary measures.
The specialized prosecutor against Organized Crime, Emeldo Márquez, asked the Superior Court of Appeals to revoke the house arrest granted to Lupo González and Karen Pitty, both charged in the scandal for the fraudulent transfer of tax credits of the General Directorate of Revenue (DGI). In the case of Lupo González, he held the position of analyst at the DGI. He also had access to the e-Tax 2.0 system to cancel, split payments, and make adjustments.
The Prosecutor’s Office requested the revocation of the house arrest measure granted by a judge of guarantees to two of the defendants for the crime of money laundering and organized crime for the fraudulent handling of tax credits.
