ODEBRECHT tentacles wrap around the Globe. From Italy to now also Peru! They are a LEGAL CARTEL.
PRESIDENT OF PERU IS BEING INVESTIGATED FOR BRIBERY Peruvian lawmakers voted to open an investigation into agreements between a unit of Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and President Martin Vizcarra’s family business more than a decade ago, renewing tension between the executive and legislative branches. Peru: Attorney General announces that …
WOW: Witness testifies that “El Chapo” bribed Mexican President to the tune of $100 MILLION. (Alleged)
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán paid a $ 100 million bribe to former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto , a Colombian drug dealer said on Tuesday when he testified at the Guzman trial in Brooklyn. The money was sent by a woman known as Comadre María in Mexico City in October …
BURNS MY ASS: Despite promises of transparency, Varela remains mum on discretionary spending.
by James “JB” Bryson Every now and again, I find myself being a bit above the bell curve in doing my posts. (Its does not happen often, as I am not Woodward and Bernstein). But attached link: http://panamanowonline.com/the-bill-is-in-o…arelas-euro-tour/ Is a PNO.com post that we put up months ago during the …
Court denies appeal of controversy from Francolini for ODEBRECHT bribe claims.
The Second Court of Justice denied an incident of controversy presented by the defense of the former president of the board of directors of the Riccardo Francolini Savings Bank, against the investigation carried out by the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor for the payment of bribes through Odebrecht . In a ruling …
WYD will be a litmus test of how Panama functions on the World Stage. (Hotels, Transportation, Security)
by James “JB” Bryson With well over a year of preparations under the belt, the Pope he is a coming. And bringing flocks of followers and congregations with him. World Youth Day is a HUGE event for this country. Perhaps the BIGGEST that has EVER occurred. I for one hope …
Gotta Love PANAMA: CD party officially nominates Martinelli for MAYOR. Cult of Personality wins
Ricardo Martinelli , currently detained in El Renacer for the process he faces in the well-known case of punctures, was registered this afternoon as a candidate for mayor of the capital for Cambio Democrático (CD) in the midst of a murga, songs and dance dozens of followers who arrived at …
With World watching, Panama steps up security in anticipation of WYD.
The Executive Directorate of Support for the Local Organizing Committee for the World Youth Day (WYD), led by the Deputy Minister of Security, Omar Pinzón, highlighted on Monday that the State’s security forces have strengthened their capacities to guarantee the well-being of citizens. , pilgrims, visitors, Pope Francis and the …
Much anticipated Mass Metro line to start Test runs.
From this Monday, January 14, the Panama Metro began the period of blank march of line 2. They carry out tests with trains on line 2 of the Metro for WYD That is to say, a test of the system, without counting on passengers yet. The blank march will be …
Re-Visiting the DANGER of BOCAS del TORO.
OP ED: James “JB” Bryson The more deeply we are helping our fellow ex-pats with real estate issues, legal wrangling, and other problems they got suckered into in and around the area of BOCAS DEL TORO, COLON, BOQUETE, etc, I feel it is our duty to remind those that are …
EX-PAT Follow UP: Bocas Del Toro Property Scam; Ex-Pats WARNING Ex-Pats!!
by James “JB” Bryson As 2019 storms ahead, we find ourselves re-visiting an issue that PNO.com covered back in July when we went to Bocas del Toro to see how my friend and fellow ex-pat “Buddy” has people literally living on property that the Panamanian registry states is “TITLED” to …
As Tocumen expands, energy use will explode. Original Odebrecht sub-station was granted to public bid.
The energy demand of the Tocumen International Airport will triple when the new passenger terminal (T2) comes into operation at the end of next April. The current terminal (TI), which has 34 boarding gates and which last year handled more than 16 million passengers, has a daily demand of 6 …
UPDATE: OAS breaks relations with Venezuela, refuses to recognize Maduro legitimacy.
The Organization of American States ( OAS ) resolved to ignore the legitimacy of the second presidency of Venezuela that took on Thursday Nicolás Maduro . Nicolás Maduro swears in for a new term Nicolás Maduro starts second term in the middle of the worst context Meanwhile, Paraguayan President Mario …
UPDATE: Chilibre water plant back at 100% capacity
The water treatment plant Federico Guardia Conte, is working 100%, after completed the repair work on a pipe of 18 “that on Tuesday afternoon had presented a break in the area of Gonzalillo. The information was confirmed by the Institute of National Aqueducts and Sewers from its official Twitter account. …
Maduro implies threats to group that does not recognize legitimacy of new term
President Nicolás Maduro warned the Lima Group on Wednesday that he will take tough diplomatic measures if he does not rectify his position on Venezuela in 48 hours, on the eve of assuming a new term of six years, whose legitimacy does not recognize that bloc. Latin American and Caribbean …
Varela returns from crime meeting in US with pledge to reduce activity in Colon region.
President Juan Carlos Varela, announced on Tuesday in the province of Colon the creation of a Task Force and a search block to deal with crime. Varela said that this Task Force will be made up of all the State security agencies, so that Colón maintains the same security figures …
Darien back in news as possible weak point for illegal smuggling; Border Patrol receives more support
OP ED: by James “JB” Bryson In the past we covered the haphazard logging operations that were occurring in the Darien region. What makes this region even more challenging is the location it serves as a possible conduit of illegal trafficking and smuggling between Panama and the Colombian borders. A …
With expanded Terminals, TOCUMEN now recognized as most ON TIME regional airport in the world
The Tocumen International Airport with an index of 91.11% was awarded the On Time Performance Airport 5 star award, as the most punctual medium-sized airport in the world, according to the British aeronautical analysis consultant, Official Airline Guide (OAG), after evaluating the performance of global punctuality during the year 2018. …
IMF forecasts Panama to grow back at 5% up from 4% in 2018
After 2018, with projected growth of around 4%, the most moderate in the current decade, projections indicate that the country’s economy will rebound at rates above 5% in the short and medium term. MEF: Panama is set to return to the FATF gray list Debt grows $ 2,710 million Panama’s …
Applicants fighting tooth and nail for the 3rd Place assignment in Free Application
The deadline for the submission of signatures for the candidacies for the free application closed yesterday, in the middle of a bitter dispute for the third place in the race for the Presidency. Ricardo Lombana and Dimitri Flores are fighting for that position. Yesterday, Lombana presented 26 thousand signatures – …
Martinelli defense can’t be accused of being lazy; they are appealing to new criminal jurisdiction
The legal defense of former President Ricardo Martinelli intends to shield him with a new electoral criminal jurisdiction in the case that he is followed for allegedly ordering to spy on the communications of at least 150 people. Martinelli presents new appeals before the Court Victims: failure confirms that Martinelli …
Abrego formally protests Varela allowance of (SPI) into Legislative Palace during session
OP ED: James “JB” Bryson- He will have to read it on Monday as he took a bunch of buddies to Key West for a Friday “conference”. All coming back the same day. The president of the National Assembly, Yanibel Ábrego , sent a letter of protest to …
Back in US, invigorated Democrats seek immediate reform as they take charge of House
Now that they have control of the House of Representatives , Democrats are preparing an ambitious electoral reform to limit the influence of money on politics. Democrats approve plan to reopen US government United States opens a Congress hostile to Trump in full ‘closure’ The proposal, among the first to …
Year starts with clash between Humbert and Payroll of National Assembly
The year 2019 started with a new clash between the Comptroller’s Office and the National Assembly. Assembly concludes extraordinary sessions without ratification of judges General Comptroller suspends payment of payroll 002 The comptroller, Federico Humbert , annulled more than 500 checks corresponding to the salaries of officials who work for …
Hello 2019 PANAMA!!!
by James “JB” Bryson So in the spirit of giving, my visiting family did a bang up job of giving me the flu. So apologies for the stagnancy on the site over the past few days. I do however, love the fact that I can get everything I need with …
End of 2018: Status of Varela in PANAMA.
OP ED: by James “JB” Bryson As I bring 2018 to a close on the first year of being online with PANAMA NOW, I reflected on how much time and effort I placed into examining and let’s face it “criticizing” a Varela Administration that I honestly feel is flawed to …
Tocumen begins preparedness for massive influx for WYD.
The maneuverability of the Tocumen International Airport will be put to the test to receive a large part of the participants in the World Youth Day (WYD), which will run from January 22 to 27. Currently, in the hours of greatest demand (4:00 pm to 6:00 pm) the operation of …
Comptroller calls for bond to exceed $220 Million for Odebrecht project at Tocumen for protection
OP ED: by James “JB” Bryson A necessary step and actually shocking that the government does not have the ability to get out of bed with these pre-existing agreements with such a dangerous and sullied enterprise. Tocumen, SA will expand the scope and amount of the fourth addendum to the …
New referendum calls to make Tax Evasion a harsher criminal offense
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Eyda Varela de Chinchilla , asked the National Assembly to restart the debate on the bill that increases tax evasion to criminal offense. Assembly concludes extraordinary sessions without ratification of judges They close extraordinary sessions without key projects “I ask the National Assembly to …
Political opinion begs the question if Varela is acknowledging “lame duck” status as term comes to end.
The country is practically immersed in the electoral process towards the general elections of 2019 and various sectors of society begin to toughen their protests and claims towards the government of President Juan Carlos Varela. On the one hand, Customs officials paralyzed the customs activity earlier this month, claiming a …
Martinelli enters 2019 with ever changing stable of Lawyers
The team of lawyers of former President Ricardo Martinelli , imprisoned in El Renacer while being investigated for spying on communications from at least 150 people, has had several changes in recent months. Ex-prosecutors Dimas Guevara and Cristóbal Arboleda , for example, stopped being members of the group for several …