Overview
- Investigators searched three Panama City offices allegedly tied to Panama Ports Company and removed boxes of records as part of an inquiry in which no offense has been specified.
- Prosecutor Azael Samaniego said the materials will be reviewed and declined to identify the companies involved or detail potential charges.
- Panama Ports Company called the raids a grave intrusion that undermines due process, saying officials seized litigation documents from private offices.
- The state executed the Supreme Court’s late‑January ruling by taking possession and operational control of Balboa and Cristóbal, installing APM Terminals and TIL Panamá for an 18‑month interim to protect more than 7,000 jobs, with payments of $26 million and $15 million.
- PPC has initiated international arbitration over the contract’s termination, and the economy minister says the company is seeking more than $1.5 billion as prosecutors continue reviewing seized files.