Carlos Duboy,  the director of Tocumen, S.A.  the company that runs Panama’s international airport has an "obvious conflict of interest." and should resign says Transparency International (TI) following revelations of political donations from Odebrecht which is building the airport’s second terminal.

"He cannot continue in office, it's not that the law obligates him, but an ethical issue makes it imperative that he do it ", said Lina Vega Abad, president of the Foundation for Development of Citizen Liberty, Panamanian chapter of TI.

Duboy,  who is treasurer of the  ruling Panameñista Party,  in an interview with La Prensa,  on Monday, December 11 admitted that in 2008, when he  served as sub-treasurer  he  knocked on the company's doors for donations to the campaign of Juan Carlos Varela, and they made  two: one for $50,000 and another for $100,000,  money received by Strategic Management Group, his family company.

Vega Abad said that since the name of Duboy came out in the first revelations made by Jaime Lasso, former Ambassador of Panama in South Korea, about other Odebrecht donations.

She said that one of the most serious issues to be corrected in the country is the conflicts of interests.

"And the Duboy case is a perfect example because it's totally unheard of for a person who was coming out for the donations, as the contact between the party and Odebrecht, followed managing a project that Odebrecht was carrying out at the airport."

Step back
She added that at that moment what Duboy had to do was "take a step back and leave the administration to another person. Now the situation is more serious because he is saying that his relationship comes from further back...to the party primaries for the 2009 elections. And obviously he cannot stay there, he cannot continue in that position. "

According to a report from the Judicial Investigation Directorate, Odebrecht gave $10 million to the former Ambassador Jaime Lasso, between 2009 and 2014, funds that would have gone to the Panameñista  Party.