Panama Accounting Scandal: Allegations of Report Falsification in Odebrecht Case

According to his defense attorneys, Lim admitted this week that he extracted information from Rodríguez's report to create his own. Rodríguez, according to official certifications, does not have the qualification of a licensed public accountant. In this regard, former President Ricardo Martinelli stated that the officer, without having accounting knowledge, signed reports that were used to accuse and convict people linked to the Odebrecht case. The technical report by expert Antonio Lim, a key witness for the Prosecutor's Office, was drawn up using information from a report by then-Major Damaris Rodríguez. Rodríguez was allegedly used by the Prosecutor's Office to fabricate fake reports and to accuse, torture, violate the rights, prosecute, and imprison hundreds of Panamanians. Days ago, it became known that the now-subcommissioner, who was then a captain, was following the instructions of former Prosecutor Kenia Porcell. Lim said he does not know the reason why the then-major signed the reports as part of the DIJ's Division of Crimes against the Public Administration, in 2017. She is also accused of falsifying reports in the Odebrecht case and of mistreating the accused. In fact, a certification bearing the signature of the head of the Department of Registration of Licensed Public Accountants indicates that no documentary evidence of her suitability to practice the profession of a licensed public accountant was found. Faced with this scenario, Martinelli believes that she should be removed from her post and investigated for the alleged crime of usurpation and substitution of professional qualifications.