This week could be key for clarifying the implications that politicians, businessmen and representatives of Odebrecht in Panama may have, thanks to the declassification of documents of statements by executives of this company in Brazil.
On Thursday, June 1, the public prosecutor in Brazil delivered to Panama videos from informers.
However, some denunciations, whose contents have been known in advance, have forced the authorities of the Public Ministry (MP) to call upon people whose own names or those of their companies appear in the revelations.
Among these mentioned are some representatives of law firm Rosas & Rosas, belonging to panameñista legislator Jorge Alberto Rosas, who have supposedly already been summoned to give declare.
One of the partners of the law firm argued that part of the proceedings that were being carried out consisted in withdrawing cash in the Torre Las Americas, located in Punta Pacifica, which was then sent by one of those involved in the case of bribery whose name is Olivio Rodrigues.
These funds served for the payment of monthly payrolls of workers in several projects of construction, although other names of recipients generated into other accounts were withheld.
As a result, the former Vice-president of the Republic Arturo Vallarino claims that there are cases in which this firm is being mentioned, such as that in which it supposedly received 1.4 million dollars from the Brazilian company about which he has heard nothing from the authorities.
At the same time, the former Vice-president also questioned the omission made by the Public Ministry around an account of the Constructora Internacional del Sur company in Credicorp Bank, which he believes would have facilitated the payment of 300 million dollars, amount which does not appear in the record that the Panamanian prosecutors handle.
This was known through the whistleblower program denunciation made by the head of the Department of Structured Operations of Odebrecht, Fernando Migliaccio, who revealed that Credicorp Bank was one of the banks that charged 2% of commission on the funds they managed for the company that was allegedly used in money laundering activities.
On this last case, there is a criminal complaint filed by lawyer Sídney Sittón due to the exclusion of these accounts from the official record.
At the end of last week, it became known that two bank representatives linked with this case were called to declare this week.
Lawyers and opposition sectors protest against the existence of the cover-up of bribes during the governments of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) and the Panameñista party.
In this sense, Vallarino questioned the fact that Vice-president Isabel De Saint Malo´s brother may also be involved in this web of irregularities and since he is close to the government he is not mentioned at all; on the other hand, "they have revealed names of political opponents against which they have ordered confiscations".
According to the former official, "it won't be possible to hide the names and amounts that Odebrecht gave because this is something that has happened after information coming from Brazil, United States and Switzerland".
Similarly the former minister of security, José Raúl Mulino, has stated that although he believes that much of the information coming from Brazil will not be unveiled, he keeps confident that at the end of the day it will become widely known which President was the one being pressured to hinder the judicial assistance requested by the authorities of the South American country.
"We will all know in the end, since Odebrecht goes beyond ally political manipulation and that of the media", said Mulino.
In economist Juan Jované´s view "If the Public Ministry does not go beyond the entrance doors of the banks - aimed to investigate-, it would be a clear indication that justice no longer works", he concluded.
The Attorney General said that between 7 and 10 denunciations will be useful to prosecutors, anticipating what will eventually be revealed.
