Director of Panama Customs resigns due to differences of opinion with the Government

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Director of Panama Customs resigns due to differences of opinion with the Government

Thu, 12/27/2018 - 19:41

The director of the National Customs Authority of Panama (ANA), José Gómez, said today that he resigned from his position due to differences of opinion with the Government of Juan Carlos Varela regarding the vision of the country, and the lack of support to the customs entity that requires changes and more resources.

Gómez announced his decision in a press conference to journalists, after filing a complaint with the Public Ministry for alleged irregularities in the sale of merchandise retail in the Colon Free Zone. His resignation will be effective from tomorrow and was presented officially on December 13.

Along with Gómez, Vidal Del Mar also leaves his post as deputy director of Customs, was reported in local media.

Gomez recalled that last July he had already informed Varela of his idea of resigning over situations that "had been taking place for some time in terms of some lack of support" for his management at the ANA, but at that moment the president "did not accepted it and asked us to stay in the charge".

He added that he agreed because he thought they were going to change and for that reason he presented some requests, but "time went by and the vision of the country about certain changes that have to be given was going away".

Because of this, Gómez said that "we preferred to take a step aside and that the president (Varela) will continue with his Government in the way that he determines".

He specified in that sense that the vision he has about the ANA as entity according to the commercial and logistic development of the country did not find an echo in the Government.

He clarified, however, that when he speaks about the Executive, he does not refer directly to the president, but rather to "some ministers" of the State who "had an obligation, for example, in the case of the allocation of more resources for the custom institution”.

Gómez affirmed that after he began his management at the head of the ANA in 2014, when the Government of Varela assumed the power, this entity has 160 fewer officials.

"There are other entities that have increased their number of employees in a dramatic amount, and Customs has been reducing the number of officials," he said.

The announcement of the departure of the head of Customs is known a day after the Government will inform that the Minister of Commerce and Industries, Augusto Arosemena, submitted his resignation, which will be effective on December 31 next.

At the moment the Executive has not announced the replacement of both officials.

For his part, Varela told reporters that he learned of Gómez's resignation through the Minister of the Presidency, Jorge González.

Varela said that the decisions made by these officials "is part of public life", since, he stressed, "we are four months away from the electoral process (for the general elections of May 5, 2019), and many have all their right to go to the private life and others stay with me until the elections and the transition of Government”.

 

 

https://www.panamatoday.com/panama/director-panama-customs-resigns-due-differences-opinion-government-8793