The Comptroller General of Panama, Anel Flores, confirmed yesterday that the judicial process for illicit enrichment against former deputy and former director of the Panama Institute of Sports (Pandeportes), Héctor Brands, is now firm. "The Public Ministry already has a process of illicit enrichment against Mr. Brands," he stated. "We not only want people to face criminal consequences for their acts, but the Panamanian people want the money that was stolen returned to them; that is what we are doing; we are looking for ways that they cannot attribute what they have," he said. He added: "What bothers the general public the most is that we see these people who arrived in a taxi and leave in a Ferrari and throw it in the face of the rest of the country; this has to be stopped." He mentioned that they will continue investigating because the duplication of the country's external debt by 30 billion, without works that justify it, is unacceptable. Flores pointed out that an excessive amount of money was spent under the pretext of the pandemic, which not only ruined the economy, but also ruined the finances and fiscal situation in this country... We must put order and make a rescue of the public money that was outraged to the Panamanian people, he said. Now it will be up to the Public Ministry to do its part so that we can see the fruits of the investigation initiated by the Comptroller's Office, expressed Flores. He highlighted that the report delivered supports the patrimonial inconsistencies. "There is an audit here that reflects that this person has an enrichment that they cannot justify and that is what we are presenting," he stated in an interview with journalist Álvaro Alvarado. At the beginning of September, the Public Ministry informed the opening of an investigation for embezzlement and unjustified enrichment. Regarding the latest measures taken against Vice President José Gabriel and the former mayor of San Miguelito, Héctor Valdés Carrasquilla, he mentioned that "the Comptroller's Law grants the faculty to seize and secure assets when there is a possibility of misuse of public resources." Flores pointed out that over the years, it has been seen that many people are accused of different things, but when there is a firm conviction or they are close to conviction, the assets no longer exist; "they have been transferred to third parties or hidden." He reiterated that what they are doing at this moment is to secure those assets that are considered acquired through the improper use of public resources. Additionally, he assured that the Comptroller's measures are supported by the Organic Law of 1984 and that before him, the only comptroller who used it was Rubén Darío Carles.
