"PANAMA is more than papers, and Panamanians know it” and the country has played a role in the global fight to prevent tax evasion says John Feeley, the new US ambassador to Panama.

But, he  told La Prensa,   the U.S. is in favor of the position of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that Panama accept its standards for sharing tax information.

"It is necessaryto adapt the offshore industry here with the almost 40 jurisdictions worldwide, including three in the U.S.," he said  referring to Delaware, Wyoming and Nevada.

Feeley arrived in Panama two months ago, shortly before the publication of hundreds of articles worldwide based on documents leaked from the law firm Mossack Fonseca. Those revelations cast Panama in the global spotlight, even though the articles detailed the actions of only the law firm, and not the government or the country said La Prensa.

The ambassador declined to discuss the situation involving former President Ricardo Martinelli, who since the end of January 2015 has been living in Miami, having fled Panama the day he was indicted by the Supreme Court.