THE PROSECUTION and jailing of former Supreme Court Judge Moncada Luna unveiled a fresh can of corruption worms from the Ricardo Martinelli era, which will see at least 12 prominent “entrepreneurs” face the Organized Crime Prosecutor for alleged money laundering on Monday, June 29.

The list includes Ricky Ricardo Calvo Latorraca, Mauricio Ortiz Quesada and Claudio Poma Murialdo; officers of the corporation Constructora P & V, SA, part of the HPC-Contractors-P & consortium V that got the $193.7 million contract for the construction of the Amador Convention Center.
HPC-Contractors-P & V is the same consortium that received a $7 million loan from the Caja de Ahorro for the project. But that money was used to cover part of the $12 million "hole" at the Financial Pacific brokerage.
The Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime, Nathaniel Murgas, is seeking to determine whether the entrepreneurs were participants in the crimes that led to the prosecution of Moncada Luna, now serving 5 years imprisonment for unjustified enrichment and falsification of documents reports La Prensa
The ex-judge was also being investigated for alleged offenses of money laundering and corruption of officials, but, decided to agree to a deal for the two offenses listed.
Murgas, took over the file and froze 16 bank accounts totaling $1.4 million, related to the investigation for alleged money laundering. A judicial source told La Prensa that this figure will increase as other procedures are opened.
During the investigation of the judge, The bank accounts of 14 corporations were frozen, many linked to “Pipo” Virzi, a member of the Martinelli Zero (inner)c Circle, currently under arrest, after receiving $10 million from the construction firm Hidalgo & Hidalgo shortly after it was awarded an irrigation project in Tonosí , Los Santos, in May 2012.
Virzi returned $5 million, to the state but is still included in the investigation for alleged money laundering.
In addition to the Amador Convention Center, Latorraca, Quesada and Murialdo are linked to the multi-million dollar business of building primary Health care centers during the Martinelli years.
The investigation has uncovered multiple examples of massive overruns. In one case from $11.6 to $16 million. The project was inaugurated by Martinelli on April 24 2014. but had deficiencies, like detached ceilings and leaking walls.
The then Health Minister Franklin Vergara awarded to the same consortium additional Health Care Center contracts totaling over $35 million.
Latorraca, Quesada and Murialdo also got a $15 million contract to build the public market in David, Chiriqui.
The tender evaluation committee consisted of Rómulo Roux, former Minister of Canal Affairs and currently president of Democratic Change; Fernando Duque, former secretary of the Cold Chain, and Kristelle Getzler, former director of the Ministry of Economy.
Banco Universal owned by the Virzi family and recently suspended d by the Superintendency of Banks, issued letters of intent to finance public institutions for 100% of the projects awarded to HPC-Contractors-P & V consortium.
Organized Crime Prosecutor Murgas will also investigate six other entrepreneurs allegedly associated with Virzi: and four others doing business with several state agencies, including the controversial National Assistance Program (PAN).

 "Each of these people is directly related to the accounts or companies that have participated in the mobilization of funds that were eventually used in the acquisition of the apartments of Alejandro Moncada Luna and personal accounts of the aforementioned and his wife" says a Public Ministry press release
One of the companies under investigation by prosecutor Murgas is Omega Engineering, headed by US citizen, Oscar Rivera Rivera, living in Puerto Rico, awarded the contract to build a Judicial Center in Panama West, when Moncada Luna was president of the Supreme Court.
Omega Engineering received an advance to develop the project, thanks to Moncada Luna according to research conducted by the National Assembly. Omega Engineering got a gift of at least $100 million in construction projects handed out by other officials, like former Health Minister Franklin Vergara.
One was the Rio Sereno, Health Center in Veraguas province, at an initial cost of $3 million, but ended up costing $11 million (an increase of almost 300%), according to the Comptroller General.
Also under investigation is Julian Rodriguez, president of Space Concepts, SA, which signed a contract for construction of the new Maritime Court when Moncada Luna presided over the Supreme Court.
The contract was for 8.2 million, but, rose to more than $10 million.
A few days after receiving an advance, the company wrote a check for $400,000 to Cubemu Corporation, SA, one of the companies linked to Moncada Moon Luna
Space Concepts will be investigated for the alleged money laundering. The company also billed about $6 million in contracts with PAN and the Tocumen International Airport.
Included in the list of businesses that will be investigated are Maria Gabriela Reyna Lopez, (Reyna and Associates, SA,) which had a bank account, from which more than $500,000 was transferred to two other companies involved in the Moncada Luna trial
Reyna Lopez is also an officer of Traffic Safety, which in 2011, signed a contract with the Transit Authority to place speed surveillance cameras. The company was represented by Ricardo Chanis, president of Editora PanamáAmérica, SA, the media company controlled by Martinelli.