A Panama Judge Rejects Nadia del Río’s Attempts to Release a Bank Account Seized by the Comptroller’s Office.

A Panamanian guarantee judge ruled against former presidential executive director Nadia del Río, keeping in place the asset-seizure and precautionary measures ordered by the courts.

Case Details.

• The Ruling: Guarantee judge and Supreme Court magistrate María Cristina Chen declared the petition “no ha lugar” (without merit/rejected), ruling that the court lacked jurisdiction over actions originating directly from the Comptroller’s Office rather than the Public Ministry.

• The Seizure: Comptroller Anel “Bolo” Flores ordered the freezing of accounts and assets as part of a forensic asset audit examining Del Río’s tenure in the Ministry of the Presidency.

• The Defense: Del Río’s legal team argued that the frozen funds included accounts used for her minor daughter’s child support.

• The Outcome: The freezing orders and precautionary measures by the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic remain active while the patrimonial investigation moves forward.

The precautionary measures adopted by the Comptroller General of the Republic on the bank accounts of the former institutional executive director of the Presidency of the Republic, Nadia del Río, remain in place.  But in a hearing on “violation of rights” requested by Del Río against the comptroller Anel “Bolo” Flores, Magistrate María Cristina Chen, acting as a judge of guarantees, argued that she lacked the competence to resolve said conflict.

Nadia del Río is a Panamanian lawyer and former executive assistant or secretary to the Ministry of the Presidency during the administration of President Laurentino Cortizo (2019–2024).

Background and Career.

• Education and Profession: She is a 42-year-old attorney specializing in commercial, administrative, and public contracting law, with multiple master’s degrees and postgraduate studies.

• Public Service: She began working in public administration during the government of Martín Torrijos (starting around 2004) and later served as an executive assistant and institutional executive director at the Ministry of the Presidency under Cortizo.

Legal Investigations.

• Asset Seizure: She became the subject of a high-profile forensic audit by the Office of the Comptroller General, which alleged a discrepancy of over $576,000 between her known public income and tracked financial movements.

• Current Status: The Comptroller’s office ordered preventive measures, including the freezing and seizing of her bank accounts and assets. Her defense has challenged these measures in court, but judicial authorities, including a Supreme Court guarantees judge, have maintained the preventive seizures while the Public Ministry continues its open investigation. Del Río has defended her record, denying wrongdoing and characterizing the accusations as politically motivated persecution.