The former administrator of the Panama Canal (ACP), Jorge Luis Quijano reacted Tuesday, April 11 to reports that Deputy Yanibel Abrego had bought State land for less than one cent a square meter. 

“ What matters here is that the Canal had to pay almost 23 dollars per square meter and there is someone who is buying at less than one cent per square meter. And she is not the only deputy that I understand has bought at those prices. I understand that there is another deputy who on the Atlantic side bought two cents a square meter, ”said Quijano.

According to a publication, Ábrego acquired  18.4 titled hectares,  which are divided into two farms in Capira, specifically in the mountainous area of ​​the township of Cirí Grande.

The state lands were delivered to the deputy on March 23, 2023, by the National Land Administration Authority (Anati),  for a value of 120 dollars.

He added that the lands that were purchased by Deputy Ábrego are not the property of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) since the areas of the entity are well-defined and the ACP has full control over those areas.

" On the one hand, the Canal that gave 2 thousand 500 million dollars to the State, has to take out 550 million dollars to buy land at 23 dollars per square meter, when the government wants to protect the water part, then let them give the Panama Canal a gift ”, said the former administrator

However, there are areas called compatibility, which are required to carry out any transaction, structure, or business, and which implies that the Board of Directors gives compatibility approval for these businesses to be carried out.

“ The responsibility to protect water sources is not only the ACP, in its patrimonial areas, but it is also the government ”, he warned.

It transpired that they were not the first state lands purchased by Ábrego, since in July 2012, she obtained 9.4 hectares of land located in the same corregimiento for an amount of 60 dollars, less than $6.50 dollars per hectare or thousandths of a cent per square meter.

The lands border Río Indio and Río Indio Street in Los Chorros de Jordanal, Capira.