A FORMER high rolling Democratic Change deputy candidate, and Ricardo Martinelli confidant, who was arrested at Tocumen International Airport on Thursday, July 1, while trying to flee the country is now, like many others of the forming ruling elite, behind bars.

 After six hours of interrogation, The Third Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, Zuleyka Moore sent Porfirio Ellis, to preventive detention in the cells of The Directorate of Judicial Investigation (DIJ) for allegedly receiving "bribes" from the company Hidalgo & Hidalgo (H & H), responsible for the failed Tonosi irrigation project in Los Santos.
The name of the politician surfaced during earlier interrogation of Alejandro Pipo VIrzi, because he allegedly received a check for $319,000, signed by Virzi from the company Summer Venture, Inc.
Virzi received $10 million from H&H, shortly after the company received the award of the $150 million irrigation project. The prosecution concluded that the payments corresponded to "bribes".
H & H received $37.1 million from the state during the previous government but made no advancement of the project.
Virzi 71, was moved to house arrest, after three weeks in the DIJ cells.
In 2009, Ellis jumped from the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) to Democratic Change, led by former President Ricardo Martinelli, at a time when bags of money were allegedly circling in the National Assembly to persuade PRD and Panameñista Party deputies to jump ship to give the CD a majority.
In the past five years, Ellis changed his lifestyle and now imports quarter horses, owns a rodeo center, banana plantations and apartments in Panama City reports La Prensa