Angel Valdes | July 18, 2023
The Second Settlement Judge of Criminal Cases of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama, Baloísa Marquínez Morán, issued a conviction against 3 citizens, as perpetrators of the crime Against the Economic Order, in the Money Laundering modality, specifically by article 255, numeral 1 of the Penal Code (CP), in the case called “New Business”.
He also declared two other people responsible as perpetrators, including a former President of the Republic, for the crime Against the Economic Order, in the Money Laundering modality, specifically by article 254 of the CP.
In addition, the judgment ordered the dissolution of two (2) companies and the confiscation of the shares of a publishing house, in favor of the State, as well as the administration of movable and immovable property of said publishing house.
Similarly, a fine equivalent to $19,221,600.48 was imposed as an ancillary penalty to the former President of the Republic. The directors of the contracting companies were disqualified from the exercise of commerce for a term equal to that of the main penalty.
In the mixed ruling, dated July 17, 2023, which is in its notification stage, 10 people were acquitted and the precautionary and real measures against them were lifted, provided they were not related to the situation. legal status of other co-defendants who are pending the definition of their legal status.
Within the 306 pages of the sentence, the judge also resolved 9 incidents presented by the parties, after the ordinary hearing was held, which lasted 9 days, in which testimonial and expert evidence was carried out and the intervening parties presented their respective closing arguments.
The witnesses who were summoned and did not appear at the hearing were fined the sum of one hundred balboas (B/.100.00), which they must pay in favor of the National Treasury.
In this trial, the Public Ministry was represented by the prosecutors against Organized Crime Emeldo Márquez, Uris Vargas and Gilberto Arona. Meanwhile, for the private technical defense, 12 lawyers participated.
It should be noted that the alternate public defenders Luis Tapia, Samuel Pereira, Ricardo Vial, Ricardo Maza and Fernando Peñuelas were present throughout the trial, all appointed by the court to intervene in the event that one of the defenders individuals did not show up.
This case -consisting of 178 volumes- began in 2017, when the Public Ministry learned of the possible commission of a crime against the economic order in the form of money laundering, related to the purchase of a social media outlet.
