A Colombian citizen was subject to a precautionary measure of weekly reporting to the Office of the Ombudsman in Santa Isabel, Costa Arriba de Colón, in connection with the sinking of a vessel in which a migrant girl died. It all began on the morning of November 9th, when a small boat departed from the Miramar community dock, Santa Isabel district, with 22 Venezuelan migrants on board. During the journey, at the mouth of a river, waves capsized the boat, leaving all the migrants in the water. It was there that the 5-year-old minor died by drowning. On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 11th, a hearing for the case was held at the Colon headquarters of the Accusatory Penal System, where the Colombian citizen (the boat's driver) and a Panamanian citizen appeared. As a result, the Panamanian was acquitted, while the Colombian faces a charge of negligent homicide. Mack Anthony, the defense attorney, stated upon his departure that there was no justification for the detention of his Panamanian client, who was an assistant on the boat: "The person in charge of any vehicle is the one who drives it." Meanwhile, Michael Palacios, head of operations of SENAN (National Aeronaval Service), indicated that during the review of the AMP (Maritime Port Authority), it was verified that the vessel did not have a permit to transport people and its artisanal fishing documentation was expired. Now it is up to the Public Ministry to investigate the incident, with a period of six months to clarify responsibilities.
