Moderators Moderator_02 Posted September 5, 2017 Moderators Share Posted September 5, 2017 Quote Ex-Finance Minister’s home raided Posted on September 4, 2017 in Panama Investigators at De Lima's home Post Views: 194 A SEARCH of the Costa de Este home of Panama’s former Minister of Economy and Finance was carried out on Monday Aug 1. Frank De Lima Frank De Lima is under investigation for possible embezzlement of public funds in concessions granted when he served as chairman of the board of directors of Tocumen, S.A., during the last government. De Lima – who is accused of the alleged commission of crimes against the public administration – is detained in the cells of the Judicial Investigation Office in Ancon. He is one of four Cambio Democratico (CD) party members who have indicated their interest in running for the presidency of Panama in 2019. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/ex-finance-ministers-home-raided Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 19, 2017 Author Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2017 Quote Bail for ex-Minister upped to $600,000 Posted on October 18, 2017 in Panama Post Views: 165 BAIL FOR Panama’s former Finance Minister Frank De Lima has been bumped up to $600,000 by The Second High Court of the First Judicial District of Panama after an appeal by an anti-corruption prosecutor. The bond had originally been set at $250,000 but Anti-Corruption attorney Adecio Mojica. Argued that the audit of the Comptroller’s Office showed that the State could have suffered an economic injury of about $3,219,320 because of Lima’s actions and bail should be increased. On Monday Oct. 16 The Court accepted Mojica’s appeal. Leaving De Lima having to find another $350,000, if he wishes to return home while awaiting trial http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/bail-ex-minister-upped-600000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted December 30, 2017 Author Moderators Share Posted December 30, 2017 Quote Multi-million corruption suspect released Posted on December 29, 2017 in Panama Frank De Lima, free to roam Post Views: 200 THE RANKS of high profile members of the Ricardo Martinelli administration detained in El Renacer prison charged with corruption, were further thinned on Thursday, December 28. The former Minister of Economy and Finance Frank De Lima accused of accepting $7 million in bribes, is now free to walk the streets, barred only from leaving the country. During a Supreme Court plenary session on Thursday, December 28, he was granted an appeal of habeas corpus replacing the preventive detention which had been imposed by the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office in the Odebrecht case. Judicial sources informed La Prensa that the magistrates who voted in favor of change were: José Ayú Prado, Cecilio Cedalise, Efrén Tello, Oydén Ortega and Hernán De Leon. Jerónimo Mejía abstained, while his colleagues Harry Díaz, Ángela Russo and Abel Zamorano saved their votes. At a November 9 public hearing in the Twelfth Criminal Court, André Rabello – Odebrecht’s superintendent in Panama – confessed that De Lima received at least $7 million in “improper payments” from the bribery department of the construction The declaration is part of an effective collaboration agreement with the prosecution. Luiz Eduardo Da Rocha Soares, another Odebrecht executive, also identified De Lima as one of the beneficiaries of improper payments made by the firm. In addition, two Panamanians -Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos and José Luis Saiz Villanueva- stated while under investigation that they received money from Odebrecht, on instructions from the ex-minister. Frank De Lima is also under investigation for alleged irregularities in contracts for concessions granted at the Tocumen International Airport for which He was granted bail in October. However, he was still in El Renacer for the Odebrecht case. Recently, it was announced that he is also being investigated for supposed embezzlement in the parking lots contract at Tocumen International. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/multi-million-corruption-suspect-released Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted January 14, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted January 14, 2018 Quote Sticky fingered ex-minister wins and loses Posted on January 13, 2018 in Panama Frank De Lima, Post Views: 203 PANAMA’S former Finance Minister Frank De Lima got a free pass from preventive detention on Friday, January 12. After a Supreme Court ruling, but will remain behind bars because he allegedly had his fingers in other corruption pies The ruling that would have substituted detention with twice a month repoting was over alleged embezzlement in a contract of the Tocumen airport parking lot. The one that will keep him in custody is for the alleged collection of bribes for the award of contracts for store rental in the Tocumen terminal. He is also facing charges for the alleged collection of bribes for granting facilities in contracts assigned to the Odebrecht company. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/sticky-fingered-ex-minister-wins-loses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted March 17, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted March 17, 2018 Quote Bail revoked for former finance minister Posted on March 16, 2018 in Panama Post Views: 145 FORMER Finance and Economy Minister Frank De Lima. facing a string of corruption probes has lost another court battle and will remain in detention in El Renacer prison while being investigated for alleged anomalies in a contract for the maintenance of parking lots at from the Tocumen International Airport during the last government. For company, he will have a clutch of high profile figures from the Ricardo Martinelli era. The Second Superior Court has revoked a bail order that the Eleventh Court had given him. The judges argued that there is a risk that the ex-minister will escape or disregard the process since in the bail document there was no record of where he lives, or where he works. The Anticorruption Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating De Lima for alleged crimes against the public administration, because an audit of the Comptroller determined that the airport stopped receiving $1.9 million between October 2011 and July 2014, product of the direct contract awarded Sky Parking, S.A., linked to Gabriel Gaby Btesh who has already disappeared from Panama. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/bail-revoked-for-former-finance-minister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted May 11, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted May 11, 2018 Quote Ex-Finance Minister exits holding cell Posted on May 10, 2018 in Panama Frank de Lima Post Views: 102 Former Panama Finance Minister (MEF) Frank de Lima under investigation for alleged anomalies in a contract for the maintenance of the parking lots of the Tocumen International Airport, while he was in office. He has been released from preventive detention by The plenary of the Supreme Court (CSJ) which declared his arrest legal but replaced the detention with country arrest ( impediment of leaving the country and ordered to report on the 15th and 30th of each month). He will be not be allowed to change his place of current residence. De Lima was being held in prison by the National Police for the investigation of the anomalies in a contract for the maintenance of the parking lots of the Tocumen airport. As head of the MEF he served as president of the board of Tocumen S.A., a company that runs the Panamanian air terminal. The Anti-corruption Discharge Office of the Public Prosecutor is investigating for the supposed commission of crimes against public administration,(embezzlement) because an audit by the Office of the Comptroller General the Republic determined that the airport stopped receiving $ 1.9 million between October of 2011 and July of 2014. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/ex-finance-minister-exits-holding-cell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted May 11, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted May 11, 2018 Quote Freedom and banning from leaving the country is ordered for Martinelli’s former minister Fri, 05/11/2018 - 10:43 The Panamanian Supreme Court ruled today on a writ of habeas corpus in favor of former Minister of Economy Frank De Lima, prosecuted for a case of alleged irregularities in a concession granted at the main Panamanian airport, and ordered his immediate release banning him from leaving the country, a judicial source said. The matter was discussed during a plenary session of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), in which a writ of habeas corpus modified De Lima’s detention to notifying himself before the authority that issued his case on days 15 and 30 of every month, the source explained to ACAN-EFE. He added that because it is a writ of habeas corpus "his departure was changed" from the prison facilities in which he is detained, with the prohibition of leaving the country without judicial authorization. The ruling, which has not yet been published, also determines that the former Minister of Economy has the obligation to reside within the corresponding jurisdiction. The local television leaked a letter from the trial judge Hernán De León, from the First Civil Chamber of the CSJ, to the director of the National Police (PN), Omar Pinzón, informing him of the decision adopted by the plenary session of the Panamanian Supreme Court. In the letter, magistrate De León tells the director of the PN that in addition to the precautionary measures mentioned, it is also ordered that Frank De Lima “be put in immediately freed if there is no other pending case against him.” De Lima, who was Minister of Economy and Finance and president of the Tocumen Airport, the country’s main airport, during the Administration of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), was already in preventive custody between May 2015 and February 2016 for another case of alleged corruption in the purchase of grains through the now extinct National Aid Program (PAN). http://www.panamatoday.com/panama/freedom-and-banning-leaving-country-ordered-martinellis-former-minister-6828 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted July 14, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted July 14, 2018 Quote Ex-Finance Minister grilled over alleged $7 million bribes Posted on July 13, 2018 in Panama Frank de Lima Post Views: 192 Panama’s former Finance Minister was interrogated for five hours, on Friday, July 13 by special Anti-corruption prosecutor Zuleyka Moore over his alleged links to the Odebrecht corruption scandal in Panama. The questioning started at 9:00 a.m. and ended about 2:00 p.m. The last time De Lima was investigated by the prosecution, in this case, was in December 2017 when he was ordered to be provisionally detained, but a ruling by the Supreme Court (CSJ) replaced the detention with the precautionary measure of country arrest. In a public hearing, on November 9, 2017, in the Twelfth Criminal Court, André Rabello – Odebrecht’s superintendent in Panama – confessed that De Lima received at least $7 million in “undue payments” from the Brazilian constructor’s bribery department. The declaration is part of an agreement effective collaboration between the prosecutor’s office and Rabello. Luiz Eduardo Da Rocha Soares, another Odebrecht executive, also identified De Lima as one of the beneficiaries of improper payments made by the firm. In addition, two Panamanians -Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos and José Luis Saiz Villanueva- declared that they received money from Odebrecht on instructions from the former minister. De Lima has categorically denied links to Odebrecht bribes, http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/ex-finance-minister-grilled-over-7-million-bribes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 10, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted October 10, 2018 Quote Ex-finance minister off one hook, others waiting Posted on October 9, 2018 in Panama Frank de Lima Post Views: 94 Minister of Economy and Finance, Frank De Lima and six other people, have had a case into a $3.2 million rental contract for a local at the Tocumen International Airport shelved. The Court stated that the Comptroller’s audits declared that the $3.2 million, are considered as profits left over by the Tocumen Airport. “The irregularities have been unfounded, as it was not proven a possible patrimonial injury to the State ” but De Lima, while serving as minister had more fish to fry. Guido Rodríguez, public prosecutor, filed an appeal for reconsideration to urge the Court to call for equity judgment. In addition, the former minister is investigated for alleged irregularities in a contract to administer the parking lots at the airport. and he is also charged with money laundering in the Odebrecht scandal. On August 31, the Fifteenth Criminal Court filed the case for embezzlement followed by de Lima for the purchase of grains in the National Assistance Program. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/ex-finance-minister-off-one-hook-others-waiting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 26, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted October 26, 2018 Quote Plea deal by front man in Odebrecht bribery Posted on October 25, 2018 in Panama ex-finance minister Frank De Lima Post Views: 118 Andrés Mozes Libedinsky fingered as the possible front man for Frank De Lima Panama’s former Minister of Finance is negotiating an effective collaboration agreement with the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office in the Odebecht bribery scandal. In the agreement between the public prosecutor and the directors of Odebrecht, in November 2017, information was provided that Mozes Libedinsky was one of the supposed frontmen of De Lima, reports La Prensa. The ruling was released Wednesday, October 24 although dated July 27. Mozes Libedinsky has been detained since 4 September 2017, for alleged money laundering. His name came to light in the investigation of the bribes paid by Odebrecht during the approval hearing of the effective collaboration agreement between the directors of the Brazilian construction company and the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor. In that hearing, held on November 9, 2017, the twelfth criminal judge, Óscar Carrasco, approved the collaboration agreement. The investigation, carried out by the prosecutor’s office with judicial assistance from Andorra, determined that Mozes Libedinsky’s operations were made through the Banca Privada de Andorra (BPA) , in which over $3 million was moved. José Luis Saiz and Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos also revealed to the prosecution that they served as intermediaries to receive at least $7 million from Odebrecht that were for De Lima. The former minister has denied his involvement with Odebrecht bribes. Flight risk On January 7, 2018, Carrasquilla denied an application for bail for Libedinsky, arguing that there is a flight risk, since, , he is a Chilean national and, has with the economic means to leave the country and destroy evidence Mozes Libedinsky accepted article 25 of the Constitution so as not to file a statement in the process. Judge Carrasquilla, in denying him bail, said that, “although it is true that the defendant has a constitutional right not to testify against himself, it is also true that his dismissal would have aided the investigation, that the reasons for his links with the Odebrecht company would be known, which would have served to separate him from the investigation and therefore obtain a possible freedom “. Now, months after that ruling, Mozes Libedinsky is negotiating an agreement to reveal everything to the prosecution. In the agreement, he would have to confess to the prosecution to whom the payments he received from Odebrecht executives went. The prosecution has signed sentencing agreements – with de Lima go-between Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos, and with Jorge Espino, who declared that he was an intermediary of the former Public Works Minister Jaime Ford so that he would receive $1.8 million in Odebrecht bribes. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/plea-deal-by-front-man-in-odebrecht-bribery-case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted November 22, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted November 22, 2018 Quote Prosecution asks trial for ex-Finance Minister Posted on November 20, 2018 in Panama Frank De Lima Post Views: 130 The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of the MP, represented by Prosecutor Adecio Mojica, has asked for former Finance Minister, Frank De Lima, and a businessman to be called to trial for alleged embezzlement of state funds in a concession of at Tocumen International Airport. According to a report from the Office of the Comptroller General the crime against the Public Administration, was due to a patrimonial injury, of approximately $3.2 million. the former minister was arrested in 2017 https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/prosecution-asks-trial-for-ex-finance-minister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted February 4, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2019 Quote Ex-finance minister got $10.2 million in bribes - prosecutor Posted 03/02/2019 The 12th Criminal Court has rejected a move by the defense of the former Minister of Economy and Finance (MEF) Frank De Lima against the order of inquiry issued on September 1, 2017, by the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office in the investigation of Odebrecht bribes. In a ruling dated January 17, 2019, the twelfth criminal judge, Óscar Carrasquilla, dismissed the appeal filed by the lawyer Roberto Ruiz Díaz, on behalf of De Lima, arguing that the evidence in the investigation pointed to the possible commission of a crime of money laundering reports La Prensa. In the ruling, Carrasquilla states that he can not access the appeal because his office cannot interfere in the investigative work carried out by the Public Prosecutor's Office. He explained that the prosecutor's office links De Lima to the commission of the crime of money laundering due to the fact that the ex-official served as the head of the MEF during the period being investigated, a charge that was - says the investigating agency - used to benefit the Odebrecht company in tenders with the Government in exchange for the payment of bribes. The prosecution provided the testimony of Olmedo Méndez, who, after an agreement of punishment and collaboration agreed with the MP, associated De Lima with monies received by the company Ralford Limited by the Aeon Group. Méndez confessed to being a figurehead of De Lima. The company was part of the paper companies controlled by Odebrecht's Department of Structured Operations, destined to pay bribes abroad. He also contributed the testimony of José Luis Saiz, who, in his agreements of punishment and collaboration with the MP, linked the former minister with money from Herzone Overseas Ltd., linked to Odebrecht. Saiz, after the agreement with the prosecution, he returned $750,000 of the bribes. Andrés Mozes Libedinsky is also indicated by the prosecution as one of the frontmen used by De Lima to move large sums of money, allegedly related to Odebrecht. In the effective collaboration agreements reached by Odebrecht executives and approved by the 12th Criminal Court, it is established that Libedinsky received over $3 million, from November 2013 to April 2014, from companies linked to Odebrecht. Mozes Libedinsky is named represented as a representative of the company Ralford Limited.The prosecutor's investigation indicates that De Lima received at least $10.2 million of Odebrecht bribes. Defense De Lima's lawyer maintains that his client has not been directly or indirectly linked to the creation or creation of the company Herzone Overseas, through which Odebrecht would have moved large sums of money. In addition, he says that they can not point to their client as a shareholder of that company. He indicated that there is no evidence that the former minister, from Herzone Overseas and the other companies, has made money transfers. De Lima the has measure of impediment of exit from the country for this case since December 28, 2017, when the full Court changed the preventive detention measure. He is also facing other charges. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/ex-finance-minister-got-102-million-in-bribes-prosecutor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted April 17, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted April 17, 2019 Quote Search of ex-finance minister’s home ruled legal Posted 16/04/2019 A SEARCH of the beach home of former Minister of Economy and Finance, Frank De Lima.has been declared legal by The Twelfth Criminal Court The raid on the luxury second residence in a Vistada estate, in San Carlos, was ordered by the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office and was ratified when an incident of controversy presented by the former minister was denied. According to judge Óscar Carrasquilla, the prosecution did not violate due process or any of the guarantees to the defendant, so there was no legal support to declare illegality. The beach house located in El Palomar, district of San Carlos is valued at $300,000. De Lima was detained in 2015 for alleged irregularities in the case of the purchase of grain through the defunct National Assistance Program (PAN) and was granted bail of$200,000 on February 26, 2016, by the Second Court of Justice. De Lima is facing other criminal charges. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/search-of-ex-finance-ministers-home-ruled-legal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted December 2, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted December 2, 2019 Quote 90 corruption cases pending as accused delay justice Frank de Lima figures in multiple corruption cases Posted 01/12/2019 Some 90 cases forwarded to the Supreme Court by the Public Ministry in the last five years are still awaiting resolution as the court struggles to cope with a never-ending stream of appeals and legal maneuvers by high profile, well-heeled defendants who once ruled the roost in the Martinelli administration La Prensa reports that the latest legal remedy threatens to delay the process for alleged embezzlement to the detriment of the National Assistance Program (PAN) , related to the purchase of bags of grain. This is constitutional guarantee protection presented by the defense of the former Minister of Finance (MEF), Frank De Lima, against the decision of the Second Court of Justice, which in October revoked the nullity of the inquiries to De Lima and Adolfo Chichi De Obarrio, the fugitive former private secretary of Martinelli. The appeal alleges suspicious violations of the fundamental guarantees of those investigated in the process. In this case, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Discharge appealed a decision of the controversial fifteenth judge Leslie Loaiza, renowned for letting former high rollers of the hook who declared the inquiries to De Lima and De Obarrio void. The magistrate of the Second Court, Zaida Cárdenas, endorsed the opinion of the prosecutor in maintaining that she had acted in accordance with the law by ordering the inquiries of both former officials. Another 29 people were charged for alleged embezzlement and in the investigation, a patrimonial injury of $12.3 million was established. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/90-corruption-cases-pending-as-accused-delay-justice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted June 2, 2021 Author Moderators Share Posted June 2, 2021 Quote Three Martinelli era Ministers face corruption trial Posted 31/05/2021 Among the list of 50 people called to trial for alleged money laundering and corruption of public servants are three former ministers of the Ricardo Martinelli administration (2009-2014). They are Frank De Lima, Economy and Finance , Demetrio Jimmy Papadimitriu, Presidency, and Jaime Ford, Public Works. De Lima, who was Vice Minister of Economy between July 2009 and September 2011, and then Minister of between October 2011 and June 2014, would have received money in accounts in Andorra, through frontmen using cash and cashier's checks, funds that were supposedly delivered to De Lima who gave expedited passage to Odebrecht's collection efforts and arranged the items of the general budget of the Nation to pay the bills that the government owed the company. In a report from the Crimes Against Public Administration Division, it is explained that De Lima received $7 million from companies linked to Odebrecht through José Luis Saiz Villanueva,. who told the Public Ministry that between 2012 and 2013, De Lima asked him to receive "payments." from André Rabello, who at that time was the superintendent of Odebrecht in Panama. Jimmy Papadimitriu, would have accepted money from companies linked to Odebrecht, during the period in which he served as an official, actions that, according to the MP, are framed in a “bribery improper liability ”. It alleges that acting in accordance with his public function, Papadimitriu received money from Box 2 of Odebrecht in accounts in Andorra that were in the name of his parents. The file contains documents provided by the Andorran judicial authorities, including emails that reflect the banking procedures carried out by Diamantis Papadimitriu, and María Bagatelas, parents of the former minister, to open the accounts where they will receive the money. Between 2009 and 2012, Papadimitriu would have received $ .9 million in accounts in the name of María Bagatelas, his mother. Jaime Ford, , according to the Public Ministry, also would have used his position as legal representative of the Ministry of Public Works to carry out actions incompatible with the position. Ford, at the time of being investigated, told the prosecution that he made a networking or contact network so that his friend Jorge Espino could have a rapprochement with Rabello. Rabello told the prosecution that in 2012, after Ford took office as minister, he introduced Espino to talk about a hydroelectric plant that they wanted to develop, for which they requested $4 million. Rabello made it clear that he was not interested in the business, but his interest was to maintain a relationship with Ford because Odebrecht had large contracts: the coastal strip three, historical heritage, and the Santiago-Viguí highway, for which he gave an “advance” of $1.8 million in an account in Andorra, the details of which were provided by Espino. Collaboration deals Much of the case is based on the 18 effective collaboration agreements, and punishment with former executives of the construction company, front men, partners of some of those investigated, and relatives of former officials who received the bribes. After the Prosecutor's Office and the accused consolidated the pact, and it was approved by a judge, convictions, fines, and the return of money were achieved. Four were the Odebrecht people who reached agreements with the Prosecutor's Office. Rabello, director of Odebrecht in Panama, gave information on the mechanism used to obtain contacts with officials, to determine the amounts to be paid, and, in exchange, obtain privileges in the development of the works. Fernando Migliaccio Da Silva, treasurer of the Odebrecht Structured Operations Department, detailed how that office worked, which gave clues to the Prosecutor's Office to identify the accused and the crimes. Olivio Rodrigues Junior, in charge of making the illegal payments, provided information on the accounts that were under his control and clarified the route used for bribes. Luiz Eduardo Da Rocha Soare, the operator of the Structured Operations Department, explained how, the payment system he used, worked. Gabriel Alvarado was a frontman for the Martinelli Linares brothers, through Mengil International. José 'Luis Saiz was De Lima's front man. He promised to return $750,000 and was sentenced to 47 months in prison. Olmedo Méndez Tribaldo, also a De Lima frontman, was sentenced to 46 months in jail. Jorge Espino was Jaime Ford's frontman and received a 42-month prison sentence and a $1million fine. s Mozes, Danna Harrick's frontman, provided information about the funds that this former official received in Andorra. He was sentenced to 42 months in jail and returned $1.7 million. Ramón Carretero was the front man for Riccardo Francolini, and Aurora Mudaras. He returned $1 million. Timothy Scorah was a front man for Odebrecht and agreed to be the signer of the construction company's accounts. He was sentenced to 48 months in jail. Humberto De León, Credicorp Bank executive, opened accounts with Odebrecht companies. He made $1.9 million available to the Treasury. and was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Amado Barahona Tapia, Credicorp Bank's compliance officer, signed an effective collaboration agreement excluding charges, as the information he gave prompted the bribery investigations. Raúl De Saint Malo, a partner of the Martinelli Linares brothers, gave information on the purchase of the oil tankers. He returned two ships, $1.9 million, and was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Mauricio Cort, lawyer for the Martinelli Linares and Federico Suárez, provided information on the payments received in Andorra. He returned $1.6 million and received a 48-month prison sentence. Daysie Villarreal, wife of Carlos Ho, a former official of the Ministry of Public Works, returned goods and received a 34-month prison sentence. While Carlos Ho accepted having received bribes and provided information on the overpriced projects. He was sentenced to 72 months in prison. https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/three-martinelli-era-ministers-face-corruption-trial-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted September 15, 2021 Moderators Share Posted September 15, 2021 Quote Former finance minister heading to jail Posted 14/09/2021 Former Finance Minister Frank De Lima has been convicted of falsifying documents in the case known as "Buko Millonario the Public Ministry reported on Tuesday, September 14. He and fellow conspirators Giselle Brea and Luis Felipe Icaza will spend five years in prison and on completion of the sentence, barred from public office for three years. The investigation was started by the Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office for a complaint filed by Saverio Grandi Aguicioti in 2015. During the period of the events denounced, De Lima, Icaza, and Brea were members of the Gaming Control Board (JCJ). Brea was the executive secretary of the JCJ. while Icaza was the sub-comptroller general of the Republic. Judge Lorena Hernández of the Second Court for Criminal Proceedings sentenced De Lima, Brea and Icaza to 60 months in prison for the crime of forgery of a general document and ideological falsehood, and is additionally disqualified from the exercise of public functions for a term of three years, once the main sentence has been served. De Lima, Brea and Icaza must serve the prison sentence in a prison to be designated. According to the ruling, it was proven that the members of the plenary session of the Gaming Control Board (De Lima, Brea, and Icaza) inserted false statements in Resolution No. 32 dated June 22, 2011, through which the then Minister of Economy and Finance was empowered to sign an administration and operation contract for Bingo Televisado with the company Grupo de Inversión Mundial, SA The ruling also reads that Icaza, Brea and De Lima, although they knew that the company Grupo de Inversión Mundial, SA did not comply with the requirements to win the concession, they allowed the State to enter into a million-dollar operating contract for the bingo to take place, with the potential to cause damage, due to the nature of this type of contracting. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/former-finance-minister-heading-to-jail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted July 8, 2023 Moderators Share Posted July 8, 2023 Quote Martinelli-era Finance Minister awaits verdict in embezzlement trial FRANK DE LIMA Posted 07/07/2023 The anti-corruption prosecutor Kira Tascón requested a verdict condemning the former Minister of Economy and Finance, Frank De Lima, the former manager of the Tocumen International Airport, Juan Carlos Pino, and the legal representative of the Sky Parking company, Dionisia Gutiérrez, for embezzlement due to irregularities in the contract for the administration of the parking lots of the air terminal. During the trial that culminated Thursday afternoon, prosecutor Tascón alleged that the evidence proving the commission of the crime was presented, for which she requested a conviction for those involved, with the exception of the former manager of assets of the Tocumen Airport, Jaime Quintero, for whom he requested an acquittal. The first judge to liquidate criminal cases, Agueda Rentería, accepted the term of 30 days to issue a verdict. The defense attorneys requested an acquittal for those investigated, after pointing out that there was no patrimonial injury to the detriment of the State. At the same time, they requested the lifting of the precautionary measures against their clients to prevent them from leaving the country. The case stems from an anonymous complaint filed with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office on August 21, 2014, referring to alleged inappropriate and recurring handling that was taking place in the parking contracts at the air terminal. The concession for the administration and operation of parking lots at the airport –for a period of 20 years– was awarded by Tocumen, SA, in July 2011, through the mechanism of direct contracting by invitation, to Sky Parking, SA. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-era-finance-minister-awaits-verdict-in-embezzlement-trial-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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