US bans entry of Panama ex-President Varela over corruption
July 14, 2023
Washington has barred former Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez from entering the US over alleged corruption, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
The former president has been charged with money-laundering in Panama alongside other high-ranking figures.
What did the US say about the decision?
"Today, I am announcing the designation of former Panamanian President, Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez as generally ineligible for entry into the United States, due to his involvement in significant corruption," Blinken said in a State Department statement.
"While serving as Panama's vice president and then president, Varela accepted bribes in exchange for improperly awarding government contracts," he said.
"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," said Blinken. "Corruption anywhere damages the national security and economic health of the United States and our allies."
What are the accusations against Varela?
Last November, a Panamanian judge called Varela, who served from 2014 to 2019, to trial over money-laundering related to the Odebrecht bribery probe.
Also summoned were former President Ricardo Martinelli, who was in office from 2009 to 2014, and a number of other high-profile figures.
The trial, which involved a total of 36 suspects, will begin in August.
Varela and Martinelli were barred from leaving Panama in 2020 at the start of investigations.
Odebrecht agreed in 2016 alongside parent company and Brazilian petrochemicals giant Braskem to settle bribery-related charges by US, Brazilian and Swiss regulators to the tune of $3.5 billion (€3.1 billion).
The Brazil-based multinational, whose original name hailed from German emigrant and cartographer Emil Odebrecht, has since been renamed Novonor.
The company was also accused of giving bribes for public-works contracts in other countries where it operated, including Peru, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia.
Prosecutors accuse Varela and Martinelli of using front companies to receive funds from Odebrecht between 2008 and 2014.
sdi/msh (Reuters, AFP, EFE)