Panama's President discusses mechanism for using seized assets

Recently, President José Raúl Mulino addressed the issue of asset seizures, stating that a mechanism must be found to allow the responsible entities to make the most of them in the shortest possible time. According to the Ministry of Public Security (Minseg), these funds come from seizures made throughout the year by various police forces; therefore, their effectiveness is crucial in determining the amount allocated for these rewards. However, he mentioned that a mechanism must be found to make good use of these assets, preventing them from being lost in the parking lots of institutions or, alternatively, having to pay the 'criminal' a maintenance fee to dispose of them. The danger of the accused is also taken into account; that is, the greater the risk to public safety, the higher the reward offered by the authorities for their capture. The publication by the National Police of the list of the most wanted in the country has sparked the curiosity of Panamanians about the mechanism used to set these amounts, which exceed $230,000. The head of state did not rule out the presentation of a new law on the extinction of domain in the National Assembly, which would allow the state to seize goods and properties derived from illicit activities; however, he considers that the issue must be thoroughly analyzed so that it does not become a 'tool for political persecution' and adapts to the national reality. Police sources told Panamá América that this reward depends on the seriousness of the crime committed by the individual. Mulino recalled that when he was at the head of Minseg, the funds from these operations reached $72 million not counting the payment of interest, so he estimates that they should currently be around $100 million. The authorities are still searching for 29 individuals accused of aggravated homicide, attempted homicide, organized crime, and other offenses for which rewards of up to $100,000.00 are offered. 'The rewards depend on the category of the criminals,' they explained. After the list of the most wanted was made public, the National Police captured Jimmy Williams, Jeremias Murillo, and César De Gracia, accused of crimes against public safety in the form of gangsterism, while Cristian Rueda, alias 'Mokiwa', turned himself in at the headquarters of the Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ), located in Ancón. 'The idea is that when they are found innocent, they are given a check for the value of the Ferrari, mansion, or apartment, plus the interest, and everyone goes home, avoiding the deterioration of goods in the yards,' he said.