The Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman, assured that a thorough analysis will be carried out on the use of resources allocated to municipalities, following the complaint presented by Deputy Janine Prado about possible irregularities in the distribution of these funds.
Chapman explained that after communicating directly with the deputy, he recognized the validity of her concerns and guaranteed that any possible misuse will be investigated. "My commitment is to analyze and investigate the use of all those resources, and if anything improper is found, actions will be taken in that regard. Panamanians should have no doubt about this commitment," affirmed the minister.
The complaint arose after it was revealed that in the municipality of San Carlos alone, approximately half a million dollars would have been received this year from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Other municipalities would have received smaller amounts, raising questions about the discretion of the allocations.
Chapman pointed out that even if the funds were delivered legally, any perception of malpractice will be addressed immediately by his ministry. "Even if it is legal, but it can be perceived as a bad practice, the Ministry of Economy is going to take action in this regard," he assured.
Deputy Prado, for her part, questioned why certain municipalities receive significantly larger amounts than others, mentioning that some have received more than $700,000 in donations, while others barely reach $150,000.
This points to a lack of transparency in the allocation of extraordinary resources to municipalities, which has sparked a debate on the need for stricter control and effective accountability.
Minister Chapman concluded that once the analysis is complete, all necessary explanations will be provided to the country, in order to guarantee transparency and confidence in the management of public funds.
