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### Viewing cable 09PANAMA242, PANAMA: MURCIA ACCUSATIONS UNLEASH POLITICAL

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09PANAMA242 | 2009-03-20 20:29 | 2011-05-31 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Panama

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHZP #0242/01 0792029
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 202029Z MAR 09
    FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3184
    INFO RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 2785
    RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE 2001
    RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
    RHMFISS/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
    RUEABND/DEA WASHDC
    RHMFISS/DIRJIATF SOUTH
    RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
    RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
    RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000242

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2019
    TAGS: PGOV PREL SNAR PM
    SUBJECT: PANAMA: MURCIA ACCUSATIONS UNLEASH POLITICAL
    FIRESTORM

    Classified By: Ambassador Barbara J. Stephenson for reasons 1.4 (b) and
     (d)

    -------
    Summary
    -------

    ¶1.  (C)  The Panamanian Electoral Tribunal (TE) suspended the
    legal immunity of the leading presidential candidates Ricardo
    Martinelli and Balbina Herrera March 19, in addition to the
    front-running candidate for Mayor of Panama City, Roberto
    "Bobby" Velasquez and Martinelli's attorney, Alma Cortez. The
    Attorney General, Ana Matilde Gomez, has requested the move
    so that her office could investigate accusation of corruption
    lodged against the candidates as a result of claims by
    accused swindler and money launderer, David Murcia Guzman ,
    that he gave $3 million dollars to the campaigns of Velasquez
    and Herrera, both candidates for the ruling Revolutionary
    Democratic Party (PRD). Herrera has responded by accusing
    Martinelli's super market chain of being a "narco-candidate"
    because his super market chain allegedly provided services to
    Murcia's company, DMG. The action is unprecedented, and has
    plunged the upcoming May 3 election into unchartered waters.
    All three candidates can continue to campaign, but they must
    submit to questions from investigating prosecutors. The
    elections themselves are apparently not in jeopardy, though
    it remains to be seen if Herrera or her Vice Presidential
    running mate Juan Carlos Navarro might resign their
    candidacies. Either outcome would risk splitting the PRD.
    Conspiracy theories are multiplying, including those blaming
    the USG for the PRD's problems. The scandal is also affecting
    the government, which has now been forced to admit that
    agents of the Institutional Protection Service (SPI -
    equivalent of the Secret Service) protected Murcia while he
    was in Panama. One or even two ministers could eventually be
    forced to resign as a result. Given the explosive nature of
    the scandal, and the need to find scapegoats, Post is keeping
    a distance from both campaigns, so as not to provide the
    opportunity to tie the USG to events that may end up
    reshaping the electoral landscape and leave some political
    groups severely affected, and very angry. End Summary.

    ---------------
    Immunity Lifted
    ---------------

    ¶2.  (C)  The Panamanian Electoral Tribunal lifted the legal
    immunity of the two leading presidential candidates March 19,
    at the request of Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez. Gomez
    is now free to investigate whether leading presidential
    candidates Ricardo Martinelli (Democratic Change - CD) and
    Balbina Herrera (PRD), together with leading candidate for
    Mayor of Panama City Roberto "Bobby" Velasquez and
    Martinelli's lawyer Alma Cortez (who had been a candidate for
    National Assembly Deputy and so had immunity) had any
    criminal dealings with David Guzman Murcia. Murcia is in
    prison in Colombia charged with running a Ponzi scheme and
    investigated for money laundering, and now under indictment
    in the U.S. for money laundering associated with drug
    trafficking. In separate interviews on March 10 with the two
    leading Panamanian dailies, La Estrella and La Prensa, Murcia
    claimed that he had given $3 million to the campaign of
    Velasquez, and through him, to Herrera. At first Velasquez
    denied even knowing Murcia, but has since admitted several
    elements of Murcia's story, including meeting Murcia in his
    hotel room and discussing how to contribute money to a
    political campaign, though he denies taking any money, and
    other elements have been confirmed by agents of the SPI who
    were moonlighting as bodyguards for Murcia. The story has
    filled the newspapers for the last week, as details of
    Murcia's accusations have been confirmed bit by bit.

    -----------------
    The Investigation
    -----------------

    ¶3.  (C)  Eduardo Camacho of the Panamenista party filed a
    formal request with the A/G's office to investigate Velasquez
    and Herrera based on Murcia's accusations. Herrera then filed
    a request that the A/G's office investigate Martinelli,

    claiming that stores within his Super 99 chain was a "service
    provider",  along with 134 other companies, to Murcia's
    company DMG. Herrera's accusation is that if DMG dealt with
    them in cash, then the companies (especially Super 99) should
    have suspected money laundering. Since filing the complaint,
    Herrera has taken to calling Martinelli a "narco-candidate."

    -----------------
    Hurry Up and Wait
    -----------------

    ¶4.  (C)  TE magistrate Gerardo Solis told POLFSN that he
    believed that it was too early in the process to lift the
    candidate's immunity, but that Gomez had insisted. He noted
    that Gomez's investigation would take a minimum of two years,
    and that the only way either candidate could be forced off
    the ballot would be for them to be "judged, convicted, and
    all appeals exhausted." He said there was absolutely no way
    that this could happen in the next two months. He said that
    if the PRD wants Herrera to bow out and leave Navarro as the
    candidate, Herrera would have to take the decision, as the
    PRD had no power to force her off the ticket.

    --------------------
    Elections in Danger?
    --------------------

    ¶5.  (C)  Solis said that after hearing rumors "on the street"
    about postponing the elections he had looked up the law. He
    found that the May 3 election date is stipulated in the
    Electoral Code, not the Constitution. Therefore, in theory,
    the National Assembly could decide to change the law and
    postpone the date. He said he is not talking about this, in
    the hope that nobody notices. Solis closed by saying he did
    not like the strange things that were going on.

    ----------------
    Blame the Gringos
    ----------------

    ¶6.  (C)  In her public comments Herrera has concentrated on
    denying any wrongdoing, while her campaign has questioned why
    the press was able to talk to Murcia, while Panamanian
    prosecutors were not. President Torrijo's private secretary
    Leonel Solis told POLFSN March 17 that members of Balbina's
    inner circle were claiming within the PRD that Colombian
    President Uribe and USG were responsible for the scandal. He
    said senior Herrera advisor and PRD heavyweight Mitchell
    Doens and Minister of Public Works Benjamin Colamarco had
    both come to him claiming that the scandal was part of a plot
    by Uribe and the USG to prevent Herrera winning the election.
    According to Solis, they claimed that Uribe had complained to
    the USG that he could not risk a third leftist leader on his
    borders, and as a result the USG had orchestrated the Murcia
    interview and accusations. Colamarco then claimed that the
    plot extended beyond Herrera to Velasquez because he was
    ahead in the polls, and made his accusations about the SPI to
    hurt Torrijos. He said the same story was being told by other
    members of the PRD's left-wing "Tendencia" faction, including
    Hector Aleman, Ramiro Vasquez Chambonett, and Pedro Miguel
    Gonzalez. Solis said he had discussed the claim with
    President Torrijos, who believes that the claim is aimed at
    preventing other groups in the PRD, especially those
    supporting VP nominee Navarro, from abandoning Herrera.

    -------
    Comment
    -------

    ¶7.  (C)  This scandal is a huge black eye for Panama, and
    could do serious damage to its international reputation as a
    safe place to do business. And the worst is far from over.
    The most notable aspect of the scandal is how quickly
    Murcia's most outlandish claims are being proven true beyond
    a shadow of a doubt. So far Martinelli is not really hurt by
    this, as Herrera's claims against him are not well understood
    by the public, and perhaps not by her either. Murcia's claims
    against the PRD, on the other hand, are very easy for
    everyone to understand, and each day another smoking gun is
    found. That does not mean, however, that Martinelli may not

    find himself enmeshed in this scandal to a more serious
    degree in the future.

    ¶8.  (C)  Which leads to the question, what is behind the TE's
    decision? Among the possible explanations, is that by having
    the A/G open an investigation, the two candidates actually
    move the story off the front pages, as everything becomes
    subject to investigation, and public comment is
    understandably unwise. That may give everyone an excuse to
    back away from the story, and restart the campaign. Herrera
    was running 15% behind Martinelli before the story broke, and
    desperately needs the story to disappear, while the wider the
    press investigation grows, the more likely something may be
    turned up on Martinelli. Murcia was clearly throwing a lot of
    money around before his arrest, and it would be surprising if
    none ended up in Martinelli's accounts.

    ¶9.  (C)  Another possibility is that the PRD is looking for
    an excuse to take Herrera off the ticket, and allow Navarro
    to take over. That would allow a real restart to the
    floundering PRD campaign, and give a serious option to the
    many people who wish their was another option in this race.
    This is easier said than done, however, as this would imply
    turning control of the party over from Herrera's Tendencia
    group over to Navarro. Given the bad blood between them, this
    option is only a real possibility if the Herrera camp fears
    their is so much evidence of wrong-doing out there, that they
    need to make a deal to protect themselves from prosecution.
    Given the possibility that this scandal might seriously
    damage the Tendencia, Post will steer wide of the entire
    affair, so as not to be "associatable" with this affair in
    any way.
    STEPHENSON

`