Traffic of influence in the ACP has been denounced

New evidence has emerged around the complaint filed by a group of workers of the Panama Canal against Jorge Luis Quijano, administrator of the inter-oceanic route, for the alleged irregularities in the purchase of machinery.

Carlos Reyes, President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Non-professionals Workers of Panama, who filed the original complaint, said that evidence have been found pointing to the existence of a new contract made by the administrator of the Canal to benefit a company where his son is the legal representative and resident agent.

Reyes said that these new evidences show that Quijano bought ten boats of between 20 and 70 tons from Astillero Armón company.

Negotiation that was legalized by the law firm Quijano and Associates, of which Jorge Alexander Quijano is the legal representative.

Reyes stated that this purchase occurred in January 2015, arguing that all documentation which serves as a proof is registered in the Panama Maritime Authority.

These new evidences will be presented this week before the Public Ministry to be appended to ongoing formal denounces that were filed in the month of August of this year.

Previous complaints were for the purchase of tugs for the third set of locks for the Panama Canal operations.

The towage contract is for an amount of $158 million.

Reyes explains that Astilleros Armón, the Australian company benefited with contracts, obtained its subsidiary in Panama from the year 2013, months before having sold the tugs to the ACP.

Meanwhile, documentations to which Panama America had an access reveal that the firm that performed the procedures is represented by Jorge Alexander Quijano.

For this reason, one of such complaints that have been filed against the administrator of the Panama Canal is for the crime of traffic of influences.

The accusations of corruption of public servers and ideological falsehood are added to the complaint in question.

Cover-up?

Despite the fact that workers in the Canal are still gathering more evidence that allegedly incriminate Quijano in an act against the public administration, voices within the Board of Directors of the Canal have shown support to Quijano.

This support comes mainly from the representatives of the Executive Body participating in the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal.

This is reflected in a letter that the Canal Minister, Roberto Roy, sent which pointed out that internal auditors have shown that there are no irregularities in the administrative actions by Jorge Luis Quijano.

For Carlos Reyes, this attitude displayed by the Canal Minister evidences an act of concealment because the Executive cannot make pronouncements of a case that is under investigation within the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Denounces against Quijano are being investigated by the office of the Attorney General of the Nation, Kenya Porcell, since it involves an official with control and jurisdiction at level national.

A month and half has passed since these denounces were filed, on 8th August, and until this moment no progress has been made on this case, while the workers of the Canal contributed produced evidences that prove the arguments in their complaints.

Background

This has not been the only fact that alleged involves the Canal administrator in traffic of influence.

Lourdes Castillo, member of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal, denounced the existence of political appointments in the Canal Authority in benefit of Panameñista Deputy Adolfo Valderrama.

Before all these accusations, Quijano has limited himself to point out that these accusations are false.

Complainants request the Attorney General to separate Quijano from his post.

In the request made in the original complaint that the Canal workers filed for the purchase of tugs, they asked Prosecutor to separate the administrator of the Canal, Jorge Luis Quijano, from this position.

The request was submitted by lawyer of the workers, Gisela Pérez, in the writing of the compliant.

While, Deputy Zulay Rodriguez said recently in the National Assembly that she has proofs that will be presented before the Public Ministry to start an investigation against the administrator of the Panama Canal.

She said that these proofs consist of a series of notes which refer to transactions that have been reported for the irregularities that they contain.

The crimes of which Jorge Luis Quijano is accused are traffic of influence, falsification of public documents and corruption of public officials. With these new proofs, there are now two contracts have been denounced as irregular.