The US Ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, stated that the actions of the US government against Annette Planells are due to serious accusations of alleged extortion, blackmail, and electoral interference, and not because of a letter, as Planells tries to make it seem. The conspiracy to derail candidatures was not mentioned in the letter. On Wednesday, Cabrera questioned the awarding of the anti-corruption prize to Annette under the Biden administration. Annette Planells has come forward, trying to portray herself as being at the center of a scandal due to her anti-corruption crusade. This happened a year and two months later. The ambassador emphasized that under President Donald Trump's administration, empty recognitions ended, and they are now focused on serious work: stronger collaborations, stronger policies, and true accountability. "She never deserved the award; we will work to have it revoked," Cabrera emphasized. Planells has found a savior in the figure of Louis Sola. According to Planells, the publications by La Prensa, the newspaper that now disowns her, against the former president of the US Federal Maritime Commission have backfired, and she is now seen by Ambassador Kevin Marino Cabrera as an extortionist. She said nothing about the revelations by lawyer Karisma Karamañites regarding her privileged access to rulings before others and contacts with Supreme Court and Electoral Tribunal magistrates. Sola's letter is dated October 2024 and was addressed to Antony Blinken, then US Secretary of State. Marco Rubio, the current Secretary of State, took office in January 2025, three months later.
