On Tuesday, Panama’s Attorney General, Kenya Porcell, presented her resignation after the publication of alleged talks with former President Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) in which they discuss cases of justice and issues of the country.
I have made the decision to present my resignation from January 1st, 2020,”
Porcell said in an interview with Radio Panama. She said she will present her resignation to President Laurentino Cortizo, who must appoint a new chief prosecutor.
The resignation comes after alleged private Whatsapp conversations with Varela surfaced, which would have been extracted from his cell phone, in a case that in Panama has been called the “VarelaLeaks”.
In the conversations, which would have occurred between 2017 and 2018, Varela and Porcell air details of court cases and personal opinions of events in the country.
The dialogues have been interpreted by some sectors as a pressure from Varela to the prosecution to guide investigations on corruption cases, such as the scandal of the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, accused of paying bribes in the country to obtain contracts.
Porcell, named by Varela in 2014 for a period of 10 years, indicated that these leaks are a very serious crime, which has to be investigated, and added that her resignation seeks to prevent them from saying that she is biased or that she is covering up someone.
Varela, who said that what has been published “has been manipulated,” accused his predecessor, Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), of being behind this leak when intercepting communications with an espionage team acquired during his tenure. Martinelli was tried this year and found “not guilty” on charges of espionage against opponents during his administration.
Varela’s former political ally was investigated for multiple corruption scandals, although both he and his followers blame Varela for “political persecution” during his rule, through Porcell and the prosecution.