The David Hospital in Panama Charges Five Officials with Alleged Embezzlement.

Five officials from the José Domingo de Obaldía Hospital in David were charged with the alleged commission of the crime against public administration, in the form of embezzlement, and will face a six-month investigation.  The judge of guarantees of the Accusatory Criminal System of Chiriquí, Ana González, accepted the formal charges requested by the Public Ministry and granted a period of six months for the development of the investigations, the Judicial Branch reported. 

During the hearing, prosecutor Ruth Ostía supported the request for charges, while the judge considered that the requirements established in article 280 of the Criminal Procedure Code were met.  The investigation originated from an audit report by the Comptroller General of the Republic, which detected alleged irregularities related to the handling of petty cash funds in the hospital cafeteria.  According to the investigation, the events allegedly occurred between January 2, 2016 and February 28, 2018.

The five officials, aged 39, 44, 45, 56 and 59, allegedly embezzled funds to the detriment of the hospital’s board of trustees.  Also participating in the hearing were public defenders Rocío De Roux, Yaritcenia González, Nathanael Guerra and Carlos Rodríguez, as well as private defender Anthony Espinoza.  The Public Prosecutor’s Office will have six months to continue gathering evidence and determine the corresponding responsibilities within this investigation.