The Discharge Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office the fiscal hearing of the investigation related to the alleged diversion of $ 15.2 million destined to the construction of the Sports City of David.
Sources from the Public Ministry confirmed that the prosecution has already completed the investigation phase of the case, for which it charged seven people for the alleged commission of the crime of embezzlement after the allegedly irregular handling of funds for the work.
The investigation began based on an audit report of the Comptroller General of the Republica, carried out in January 2018 due to alleged cost overruns in carrying out the project, which was assigned in 2013 to the Consorcio Ciudad Deportiva de David company.
The audit revealed that Pandeportes disbursed to the consortium the sum of 8.6 million dollars as an advance, as well as $ 653 thousand in certificates of no objection for progress of the work, which totaled $ 9.3 million. However, the work only registered an advance of 4.43%.
The consortium was made up of the companies Condotte Panamá, SA, Condotte América Inc., Casa Quinta, SA, Advances Surfaces México, SA, and LJV Sport, SA, de CV.
The auditors specified that from the advance paid to the contractor, $ 70,000 would have been diverted to pay for a beach house in Costa Esmeralda, San Carlos; another $ 235 thousand was used to pay for air tickets and lodging in Europe; and $ 2.7 million to cancel a loan in Multibank that was not related to the work.
The ill-fated project would consist of a baseball stadium with capacity for eight thousand fans, a velodrome and a gym for four thousand fans.
As part of the process, the prosecution requested legal assistance to the United States and the Dominican Republic, in search of funds deposited in bank accounts in both countries, which are presumed related to the crime under investigation.
Among those accused of the alleged commission of the crime of embezzlement are the former director of Pandeportes Javier Tejeira; the former vice mayor of the district of Panama Iván Arrocha; the representative of Condotote SA, Vernon Salazar; and others.
