Two businessmen who are currently missing from Panama have been added to the list of 76 people under investigation in the Odebrecht bribery scandal.

Zuleyka Moore, one of the prosecutors in this proceeding, is investigating Fotis Lymberópulos and Rodrigo Rod Díaz for alleged laundering, sources in the Public Ministry told La Prensa.

They are linked to companies that, according to the file, would have received payments of bribes from Odebrecht, coming from the Madden-Colón highway project and from the Cinta  Costera.

 Lymberópulos had  filed an appeal not to be arrested, but then abandoned it

Diaz's attorney informed the Public Prosecutor that his client is in the United States, and would return to the country on an April date which has already passed. The Public Ministry has not ruled out asking  Interpol to issue a red alert.

The links
The prosecutor's office has files hints of eight payments made between April and May 2007 - drawn against funds from the "Madden-Colón highway" - that would have been transferred to the foreign company Marpesca Seatrade LLC (linked to Lymberópulos), totaling $1.4 million.

Between June 2007 and February 2008, another 11 payments totaling $3 million were made, with funds that left the Madden-Colón highway, to the World Securities society, linked to Díaz, according to the record.

Payments were also made to Importadora Gulberung: one for $ 180,000 (Cinta Costera) in June 2008, and another in August of that same year, for $20,000 (Madden-Colón highway).

The company Beldent International Corp. was also the recipient -on June 6, 2008- of three payments totaling $ 600,000 for the Madden-Colón highway.

Between January and October 2009 - months before and after the general election, in which the Ricardo Martinelli-Juan Carlos Varela alliance was elected, another 11 payments were made, with amounts ranging between $200,000  and $ 450,000  against funds from the Madden-Colón highway and the coastal strip. A total of $3,150,000 received in full by the company Caribbean Holding Services.

Another company that benefited with eight payments totaling $1.3 million between March and May 2007- was Vernell Development Corp.

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