Moderators Moderator_02 Posted January 12, 2020 Moderators Share Posted January 12, 2020 Quote Bribery frontman in Martinelli era, stays behind bars Mauricio Cort Posted 11/01/2020 The Eleventh Criminal ha rejected two appeals presented by the lawyer Mauricio Cort , investigated - in two separate cases - for alleged money laundering, related to bribery through State contracts: of the construction of the Vía Brasil corridor , by Spanish FCC , and the rehabilitation of Casco Viejo , by the Brazilian company Odebrecht In both cases, Judge Nixela Aizprúa denied the claims of Cort's defense, which alleges that the prosecution had exceeded the term of the investigation. Judge Aizprúa considered that the prosecution complied with the legal terms to request the declaration of complex cause in both investigations According to the investigations, Cort served as an intermediary between Panamanian contractors and officials in the administration of former president Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), who would have received money for the allocation of mult-million dollar public works contracts. Section II of the Vía Brasil corridor was assigned to FCC for an amount of $174.5 million, but in the end, cost $216 million. In Casco Viejo , the cost of the works reached $255.4 million and, according to the investigation of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office , had a surcharge of $51.4 million. In November 2019, Judge Aizprúa granted Cort a bail of $5 million, which he has not yet recorded. He remains detained preventively. Cort is also named in an investigation in the Spanish National Court against FCC. credited with having acted as the head of senior government officials to facilitate the delivery of bribes. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/bribery-frontman-in-martinelli-era-stays-behind-bars-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted January 23, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted January 23, 2020 Quote Lawyer who moved multi-million Martinelli era bribes stays in jail Posted 22/01/2020 The lawyer Mauricio Cort y García managed, received and transferred the “ illegal funds ” received through a public limited company - Arados del Plata, SA -, with bank accounts in other jurisdictions, for “illegal payments” to “senior officials ”in the administration of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor told to the Supreme court The court reviewed the situation of Cort, in a habeas corpus presented by his lawyer The plenary session - with a presentation by Abel Zamorano - considered the provisional detention ordered by the prosecutor's office legal, which investigates Cort as part of the file for the possible extra cost in awarding the contract for the preservation of the Historical Heritage of Panama City. The lawyer is charged with the alleged commission of corruption offenses of a civil servant and prosecuted for embezzlement and has been detained since August last year. The contract was signed on May 19, 2011, by the then Minister of Public Works, Federico Suárez -also arrested-, and, Julio Casla representative of the Spanish FCC The investigation includes sworn statements by Casla and Eugenio Del Barrio (also from FCC) in which they say their immediate boss Avelino Acero met Pepe Suárez at the time, “who communicates that in order for the State to pay debts of projects prior to the five-year period 2009-2014, a 10% premium had to be paid and that same percentage would be applied to new projects that would be awarded to large companies, pointing out Odebrecht and Ica-Meco ”. "It was an imposition that was transmitted to us and that, if we did not agree to it, we would not get what we were owed and would make it difficult for us to process all the files and, in the end, we could not return to work in Panama," Casla said. . “The figure that should be put in the economic offer was communicated so that everyone would carry similar figures and in addition to the 10% payment on the projects that would be awarded in the case of the sections of Via Brazil,” said the prosecutor's office to the full Court. Both Casla and Del Barrio said that instructions were given on the flow of funds: they should be made through the company Arados del Plata, SA and the person designated as “interlocutor” with the minister was Mauricio Cort. They met with Cort on several occasions to "verify" the amounts that should be deposited with Arados del Plata, "as well as the signing of fictitious contracts that sought to justify these payments, in addition to confirming that there was an extra cost in the rearrangement projects in Panama City, since the payment of bribes should be incorporated ”. Section II of the Vía Brasil corridor was assigned to FCC for $174.5 million, but the work ended up costing $216 million. The Casco Viejo project was awarded for almost $255.5 million but had an alleged overpricing of $51.5 million. Cort's defense said, his client has already been sentenced to 48 months in prison as part of an agreement within the process for Odebrechtbribes, for which he would be incurring double prosecution. The ruling declaring Cort’s detention legal, dated December 10 was signed by Zamorano (rapporteur), Olmedo Arrocha, Cecilio Cedalise, Hernán De León, Harry Díaz, Luis Ramón Fábrega, Jerónimo Mejía, and Ángela Russo. José Ayú Prado saved the vote. Cort also appears in the so-called Blue Apple case reports La Pensa. https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/lawyer-who-moved-multi-million-martinelli-era-bribes-stays-in-jail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted May 13, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted May 13, 2020 Quote Money laundering dual suspect seeks jail exit Posted 12/05/2020 Mauricio Cort awaiting trial in two money-laundering cases linked to Odebrecht and FCC two companies involved in Panama corruption scandals is making fresh bids to get out of jail where he has been since June last year. Two new habeas corpus remedies have been filed. Onr to is linked to the Casco Viejo remodeling project by Odebrecht The other is linked to the investigation for alleged money laundering related to the contract for the construction of phase II of the Vía Brasil corridor, carried out by the company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC). In a distribution of files held on May 11, the Secretary of the Court assigned magistrate Carlos Vásquez the habeas corpus action presented by the FCC case. While the appeal presented in the Odebrecht case was assigned to magistrate Maribel Cornejo. Cort has been detained by the order of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office that investigates both cases. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/money-laundering-dual-suspect-seeks-jail-exit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted August 26, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted August 26, 2020 Quote Tribunal niega amparo a Cort y no podrá consignar fianza Juan Manuel Díaz C. 26 ago 2020 - 12:39 AM Mauricio Cort. Archivo El Primer Tribunal Superior de Justicia rechazó un amparo de garantías constitucionales presentado por la defensa del abogado Mauricio Cort contra la jueza undécima penal suplente, Vila Urieta, por no permitirle consignar una fianza de $5 millones como parte del proceso que se le sigue por la presunta comisión de los delitos de blanqueo de capitales y corrupción, relacionados con el proyecto de remodelación del Casco Antiguo de Panamá, adjudicado en el quinquenio 2009-2014. Cort alegaba que al no permitirle consignar la fianza, Urieta violó sus garantías. Sin embargo, en fallo del pasado 24 de junio de 2020, con ponencia del magistrado Carlos Raúl Trujillo, el Tribunal concluyó que la negativa de la jueza estuvo debidamente fundamentada. El fallo señala que Urieta no admitió la consignación de la fianza a favor de Cort, ya que todo procedimiento dentro de ese expediente está suspendido a partir de la presentación de un incidente de acumulación por parte de la defensa del exministro de Obras Públicas José Federico Suárez –también investigado– ante el Juzgado Decimoquinto Penal. La sentencia cita el artículo 247 del Código Judicial, que dice que cuando se resuelve una solicitud de acumulación “el juez al que se pide el proceso deberá enviarlo sin demora y poner el hecho en conocimiento de las partes. Por este procedimiento, quedará suspendido el curso de la causa y la competencia del tribunal hasta que se le devuelva el proceso”. En este sentido, el fallo ordena que todos los cuadernillos y recursos que se encuentren en trámite ante el Juzgado Undécimo Penal quedarán suspendidos hasta que se resuelva el asunto de la competencia. Puntualiza, en tal sentido, que la actuación de la jueza no violó ninguna garantía fundamental. Cort permanece detenido en el centro penitenciario El Renacer, como parte de la investigación por presunto blanqueo de capitales y corrupción relacionada, como se dijo, con el contrato para el proyecto de remodelación del Casco Antiguo de la Ciudad de Panamá, adjudicado a Odebrecht. También se le investiga por presunto blanqueo de capitales relacionado con la construcción del tramo II de Vía Brasil, adjudicado a la española FCC. De hecho, el abogado es mencionado por autoridades españolas como parte de una compleja red usada para el presunto pago de sobornos con miras a la obtención de contratos para la realización de obras públicas entre 2009 y 2014. En 2018, firmó un acuerdo de colaboración y pena por el caso que se le siguió por los sobornos que pagó en Panamá Odebrecht. Moderator comment: Below is an unedited automated translation of the above news article. Quote Court denies protection to Cort and will not be able to post bail Juan Manuel Díaz C. 26 Aug 2020 - 12:39 AM <<NHLEXCJJRJHFLM655MHFYPYA4Y.jpg>> Mauricio Cort. Archive The First Superior Court of Justice rejected a constitutional guarantee protection presented by the defense attorney Mauricio Cort against the eleventh alternate criminal judge, Vila Urieta, for not allowing her to post a bond of $ 5 million as part of the process that is being followed by the alleged commission of the crimes of money laundering and corruption, related to the remodeling project of the Old Town of Panama, awarded in the five-year period 2009-2014. Cort alleged that by not allowing her to post bail, Urieta violated her guarantees. However, in a ruling on June 24, 2020, with a presentation by Magistrate Carlos Raúl Trujillo, the Court concluded that the judge's refusal was duly justified. The ruling indicates that Urieta did not admit the posting of the bond in favor of Cort, since all proceedings within that file have been suspended after the presentation of an accumulation incident by the defense of the former Minister of Public Works José Federico Suárez –Also investigated– before the Fifteenth Criminal Court. The sentence cites article 247 of the Judicial Code, which says that when a request for accumulation is resolved “the judge from whom the process is requested must send it without delay and inform the parties of the fact. By this procedure, the course of the case and the jurisdiction of the court will be suspended until the process is returned to it ”. In this sense, the ruling orders that all the booklets and appeals that are pending before the Eleventh Criminal Court will be suspended until the matter of jurisdiction is resolved. It points out, in this regard, that the action of the judge did not violate any fundamental guarantee. Cort remains detained in the El Renacer penitentiary, as part of the investigation for alleged money laundering and corruption related, as stated, with the contract for the remodeling project of the Old Town of Panama City, awarded to Odebrecht. He is also being investigated for alleged money laundering related to the construction of section II of Vía Brasil, awarded to the Spanish FCC. In fact, the lawyer is mentioned by Spanish authorities as part of a complex network used for the alleged payment of bribes with a view to obtaining contracts for the performance of public works between 2009 and 2014. In 2018, he signed a collaboration and penalty agreement for the case that followed him for the bribes that Odebrecht paid in Panama. https://www.prensa.com/impresa/panorama/tribunal-niega-amparo-a-cort-y-no-podra-consignar-fianza/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted August 27, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted August 27, 2020 Quote Lawyer at center of bribery scandals loses $5 million bail appeal Mauricio Cort, a long wait ahead Posted 26/08/2020 Attorney Mauricio Cort the alleged frontman in multiple corruption and money laundering investigations will stay behind bars after The First Superior Court rejected an appeal against a judge’s decision to deny the posting of a $5 million bond. The constitutional guarantee protection appeal was against the eleventh alternate criminal judge, Vila Urieta, in the case of the remodeling of Casco Viejo, during the Martinelli administration (2009-2014). Cort alleged that by not allowing him to post bail, Urieta violated his guarantees. However, in a ruling on June 24, 2020, with a presentation by Magistrate Carlos Raúl Trujillo, the Court concluded that the judge's refusal was duly justified. The ruling indicates that Urieta did not admit the posting of the bond in favor of Cort, since all proceedings within that file have been suspended after the presentation of an accumulation incident by the defense of the former Minister of Public Works José Federico Suárez –also investigated– before the Fifteenth Criminal Court. The ruling orders that all the booklets and appeals that are pending before the Eleventh Criminal Court shall be suspended until the matter of jurisdiction is resolved. Cort remains detained in the El Renacer penitentiary. He is also being investigated for alleged money laundering related to the construction of section II of Vía Brasil, awarded to the Spanish FCC. The lawyer is mentioned by Spanish authorities as part of a complex network used for the alleged payment of bribes to obtain contracts to carry out public works between 2009 and 2014. In 2018, he signed a collaboration and penalty agreement in the case that followed him for the bribes that Odebrecht paid in Panama. https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/lawyer-at-center-of-bribery-scandals-loses-5-million-bail-appeal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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