THE WIFE of a lead detained suspect in the “Blue Apple” bribery case is in preventive detention and 30  other people have been charged in what promises to be a major scandal mimicking Lava Jato of Odebrecht infamy.

The investigation involves the alleged payment of bribes through a $49 million central kitty and other acts of corruption by contractors of the Panamanian State.

The lawyer Federico Barrios was interrogated on Thursday, January 4  and is now in preventive detention.  His wife, Ana Mercedes Briones, has been detained since Wednesday.

Both are in the cells of the Judicial Research Directorate in Ancón. Banker Joaquín Rodríguez Salcedo was summoned for questioning, on Friday.

The investigation was originally assumed by the Attorney General  Kenia Porcell who said that she had "strong evidence" of the commission of several crimes.

Anti-corruption prosecutor Aurelio Vásquez, now in charge of the investigation, ordered inspections of several banks.

Rodríguez Salcedo and Barrios -according to the investigation- created a structure to pay fictitious invoices and buy real estate with the monies produced by bribes.

The Sixth Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has agreed on  at least five  collaboration deals

The prosecutor's office has not provided the identity of the collaborators, whose roles were as "intermediaries", to facilitate money transfers. reports La Prensa.

As part of the investigations, the anti-corruption prosecutor Aurelio Vásquez has charged some 30 people with alleged illicit association and money laundering. Their identities are still under wraps.

Barrios had a detention order but was out of the country for some time. He returned to Panama Wednesday from the United States, after hearing about his wife’s detention. He went to the anti-corruption prosecutor's office, and at the end of the day,  headed for a cell near his wife.

Joaquín Rodríguez Salcedo is the former vice president of Factoring and Finance of Global Bank. Operations in this subsidiary generated the first investigations, over allegedly unlawful transactions, made during the time in which Rodriguez Salcedo was in charge.

Barrios, a lawyer by profession, was president and legal representative of the Blue Apple Services Inc. Listed as directors are  Octavio Samaniego and Darla Alain, all had offices on the 9th floor of the Century Tower building, located on Ricard Avenue.