Prosecutor Calls For Trial Of Former President Ernesto Perez Balladares

(Panama-Guide) - La Prensa -  Panama's Special Prosecutor Against Organized Crime, Marcelino Aguilar, called yesterday for the trial of former President Ernesto Perez Balladares for alleged money laundering. Sources within the Public Ministry reported the prosecutor issued an opinion of more than 60 pages which was submitted to the Ninth Criminal Court, and whose content is similar to that prepared in October 2010 by the prosecutor at the time, Jose Ayu Prado, who is now the Attorney General of Panama. At that time Ayu Prado thought both the former president and his former Housing Minister, Roosevelt Lito Thayer, and nine others were unable to justify why they received money or signed checks for amounts that exceeded $20 million dollar from a company called Lucky Games, which the State granted a concession for the administration and operation of slot machine rooms. For this reason, Ayu Prado asked for a criminal investigation to be opened. Meanwhile, for Eyda Achón - the private secretary of Pérez Balladares - as well as Vicente Calderon and Tomás González de la Barrera, who appear as signatories of the accounts surveyed, a temporary stay was ordered because the investigation determined that the three employees were fulfilling the orders of Perez Balladares. After receiving the original prosecutor's opinion, the judge Diego Fernandez judge returned the case to the prosecutors with orders for them to extend and expand the investigation in November 2010. In this part of the investigation Perez Balladares' wife Dora was called to testify, as well as their two daughters. The son-in-law of the former president, Enrique Pretelt, was also charged.

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Original Source: Panama-Guide.com

Date Retrieved: March 4, 2011.