Ernesto Pérez Balladares - Makes History By Getting Locked Up
(Panama-Guide) Yesterday, Ernesto Pérez Balladares became the first former president of Panama in the history of the Republic to be deprived of his liberty for an alleged act of corruption. The Public Ministry ordered his arrest in a criminal case that accuses him of money laundering. Panama's Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime, José Ayú Prado, ordered the "precautionary measure" of house arrest after Pérez Balladares, who was the President of Panama from 1994 to 1999, refused to testify for a second time. Originally Pérez Balladares was scheduled to appear before the prosecutor today, 15 January 2010, but the prosecutor and his defense lawyers agreed to meet 24 hours earlier. Pérez Balladares arrived at the prosecutor's office at 8:05 am and left shortly thereafter, guarded by National Police officers.
