The US ambassador to Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, called Annette Planells, the former president and former director of the newspaper La Prensa, an “extortionist.” “She never deserved an award; we will work to take it away from her,” the ambassador emphasized. This message adds to growing international concern about the integrity of anti-corruption awards, as Panama closely watches how US foreign policy is beginning to make clear differences with previous administrations. According to Planells, the publications in La Prensa, the newspaper that now disavows her, against the former president of the United States Federal Maritime Commission have taken their toll and have made her appear to Ambassador Kevin Marino Cabrera as an extortionist. The diplomat strongly criticized the recognition that the State Department, under the administration of Joe Biden, gave her in December 2023 as an “Anti-corruption Champion.” According to Cabrera, that honor turned into dishonor, and he pointed out that it completely distorted the objective of the award. In the letter, Sola questions Planells’ methodology and credibility, and also highlights his alleged pro-Chinese campaign, but does not mention electoral interference. While Sola referred to the navy in Amador, which Planells tries to blame for his fall from grace, he also emphasized La Prensa’s coverage of the Chinese issue during the Varela administration. Through the X account, Cabrera asserted that Planells was “exposed through blackmail and electoral interference,” referring to the events that link her to attempts to sabotage President José Raúl Mulino’s candidacy. “She never deserved an award; we will work to take it away from her,” Cabrera emphasized, making it clear that the new US diplomatic line is focused on “real collaborations, strong policies and true accountability,” without empty awards that end up distorting the fight against corruption. “That accusation comes after a letter sent by Louis Sol,” Planells said. He said not a word about the revelations of lawyer Karisma Karamañites regarding her privileged access to rulings before everyone else, and her contacts with magistrates of the Supreme Court and the Electoral Tribunal. Sola’s letter, dated October 2024, was addressed to Antony Blinken, then U.S. Secretary of State. On Wednesday, Cabrera questioned the anti-corruption champion award given to Annette during the Biden administration. And it is doing so because of these serious accusations of alleged election rigging, extortion, and interference, and not because of the letter, as Planells tries to suggest. According to the ambassador, this policy failure during the Biden era only served to undermine the award’s mission. Annette Planells has appeared and is trying to portray herself as embroiled in a scandal due to her anti-corruption crusade. Cabrera asserted that, under President Donald Trump’s administration, empty accolades are over and the focus is on serious work: stronger collaborations, stronger policies, and true accountability. Planells has found in Louis Sola what she considers her lifeline. The conspiracy to derail candidacies was not mentioned in the letter. But it is now, with the Karamañites Leaks having broken, that the United States is speaking out. He would have had ample time to consider the matter, even though the letter wasn't addressed to him. Marco Rubio, the current Secretary of State, took office in January 2025, three months later. So much so, that a year and two months have passed.
