Former Revenue Chief Publio De Gracia Ordered Held in Preventive Detention
PANAMA CITY, August 13, 2026 – A guarantees judge ordered preventive detention for former General Revenue Directorate director Publio De Gracia, Metro Libre reported.
De Gracia is being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Office for alleged unjustified enrichment of $724,000 and money laundering.
Anti-Corruption senior prosecutor Eduardo Rodriguez confirmed that the hearing began Tuesday with the legalization of the apprehension and the filing of charges.
The defense appealed the preventive detention order, and an appeal hearing was scheduled for August 31, according to the report.
The case keeps scrutiny on public officials, asset declarations and the mechanisms prosecutors use to investigate alleged enrichment tied to public office.
Preventive detention is not a conviction, but it signals that the court accepted prosecution arguments for keeping the former official in custody while the process advances.
De Gracia wife, who is investigated for money laundering, was given periodic reporting requirements on Mondays and Fridays, a travel ban and a prohibition on communicating with the former official.
Why it matters
The case is high-profile because it involves a former tax authority chief and alleged financial crimes connected to public office.
What happens next
The August 31 appeal hearing will determine whether the preventive detention order remains in place.
