(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama)
Another hearing of a high-profile process, whose investigation has taken several years, was postponed due to a legal appeal filed by one of the defendants.
This reports La Prensa is the investigation followed by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor for the alleged commission of the crime of embezzlement in the contract for the design and remodeling of the Domingo Díaz road.
The defense of the former Minister of Public Works Federico Suárez appealed a decision of the Second Liquidator Court of Criminal Cases, which rejected a request to join the process with the investigations – also for alleged embezzlement – inherent to the contracts for the design and construction of phases I and II of the Vía Brasil corridor and the Old Town road remodeling project.
This is the second time that the preliminary hearing of the case of the Domingo Díaz road has been suspended due to the resources of the accused. Now, the process must go to the Superior Court of Liquidation, so that it decides if it accumulates the three files.
New Business
It is the third high-profile case that suffered setbacks in recent days. This week the Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime was notified of a ruling by the First Superior Court that annulled the preliminary hearing in the New Business case – which follows the trail of the purchase of the group Editora Panamá América, SA presumably with public funds –, due to an injunction filed by Daniel Ochy.
This implies that Judge Baloisa Marquínez must repeat the act held on January 27. However, the prosecution appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court.
In addition, the lack of notification of Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares forced the suspension last Monday of the trial of the Blue Apple case, related to the alleged payment of bribes by state contractors so that they were awarded works in the government of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014). The new trial date was set for August 16.
Another hearing suspended this year is that of the Piso y Techo case. It was scheduled from April 11 to 13 and then from May 25 to 27, but was suspended both times.
Meanwhile, the Second Liquidator Court of Criminal Cases suspended on March 31 the trial of four people for alleged embezzlement in the allocation of contracts through the extinct National Assistance Program for the purchase of dehydrated food; this, after several of the defendants appealed evidence from the prosecution.
In the opinion of the former Minister of Security Rodolfo Aguilera, these are resources that delay the processes, aimed at seeking the prescription of the criminal activity.
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