United States: The United States has banned former Panamanian President Mr. Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez from entering the country due to his involvement in significant corruption while in office.
The comments, made by Secretary of State Mr. Antony Blinken, accuse Mr. Varela of accepting bribes in exchange for granting government contracts.
“This designation reaffirms the commitment of the United States to combat endemic corruption in Panama. It is our hope that today’s action will prompt Panama’s elected representatives and authorities to tackle entrenched corruption and empower all those who stand up for the rule of law,” Mr. Blinken noted in his statement.
Mr. Varela is one of two Panamanian presidents charged with money laundering in the long-running Odebrecht scandal, which embroiled politicians in nearly a dozen Latin American countries.
While in office, Mr. Varela was implicated in the scandal, with lawyer and former adviser Mr. Ramon Fonseca Mora accusing him of accepting bribes from Odebrecht as “donations.”
“President Varela told me, may lightning strike me if I lie, that he had accepted donations from Odebrecht because he couldn’t fight everyone,” Mr. Fonseca told reporters in 2017.
At the time, Mr. Varela, a former businessman, was in the midst of his five-year term in office, which spanned from 2014 to 2019.
In addition, Mr. Ricardo Martinelli, Panama’s former President, has previously been accused of participating in the Odebrecht case, among other allegations. His two sons, Mr. Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Mr. Ricardo Martinelli Linares, both served prison sentences in the US for their roles in the money-laundering scandal.
In the recent press release, Mr. Blinken underscored the deep costs such a scandal can inflict.
“Corruption unjustly deprives the people of Panama of quality public services such as schools, hospitals, and roads, hurting their economic prospects and their quality of life. If not addressed, corruption will continue to depress Panama’s prosperity, weaken its democracy, and prevent it from realising its full potential,” the Secretary of State added.
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