In Panama, due process is not being respected, and this is not only in the case of the former deputy of the Nation and director of Pandeportes, the perredist Héctor Brands, but in general, because 'they want to do things in a rush,' stated lawyer Víctor Orobio.
Regarding the apprehension of family members, he indicated that 'for the prosecutor, it is a crime to have transfers—of money—between family members' and that the crime is 'the source of the income.'
The events under investigation date back to 2019, when a society linked to Brands and his family, after a change in its board of directors, began to receive state contracts for over 10 million dollars.
However, as he said, these are substantiated, are legal, 'have a known source and from companies that are known,' so he emphasized that yes, if a person has their money and has not stolen it, they can afford luxuries.
Until this moment, according to the lawyer, the defense 'does not for certain know on what the prosecutor is basing everything he is saying.'
According to the lawyer, 'things are not going well in this country and are being done in a haphazard manner.' Despite the change, the final beneficiaries of the funds would have remained the former deputy and members of his family.
'Where is the crime?' Orobio responded this way after the apprehension of Brands at his home on Tuesday morning, along with four family members, including his current partner.
'I believe that people must be given the right to defend themselves,' he said.
The investigation by the Public Ministry, within the framework of Operation Bávaro, focuses on the alleged commission of the crimes of money laundering and unjust enrichment.
'I believe that there is a great inability, because these are technical issues and we have many prosecutors who are rushing without knowing well the figure they are handling,' assured Orobio.
'The only thing we know is that we have two companies that are well-founded, are well-established, have legitimate income, and have clients that are corporations,' specified Orobio, who questioned the bases that the Prosecutor's Office will use to present its case.
The lawyer explained that on Tuesday they would learn of the content of the investigation against Brands after the secrecy of the case was lifted, since until that moment only the Prosecutor's Office had access to the file.
