Mega-scoop in El Panama America! Just months after Panama City's mayor tried to appoint a narco kingpin as chief of the municipal police, it now turns out that our beloved chief of the national police, key Martinelli ally Gustavo Pérez de la Ossa, was thrown out of the police force in 1990 for WAR CRIMES!
End 1989, together with Gonzalo “Chalo” González of the feared "Machos del Monte", he hatched an evil plan to take US civilians hostage in the Marriott hotel, and then later exchange them for Panamanian soldiers captured by the invading US forces. Sort of like what Saddam Hussein did during the first Gulf War. Hey, our police chief MET Saddam Hussein! And he was buddies with Khadaffi!
Taking civilians hostage during war is considered a war crime. Law and conventions are very clear about that.
Well, the result was that March 22nd 1990 Pérez was unceremoniously kicked out of the police force. Here is the document.
Will Bonissi, the new pseudo-procurador, investigate? War crimes do not prescribe, and we can always send the culprit to The Hague. Former Attorney General Rogelio Crúz says that an investigation is needed. Billy Ford, former vice-president, called the revelations in El Panama America "very serious". Which probably means that nothing will happen. After all, Daniel Delgado Diamante, who killed someone in cold blood in his house, is still a free man too.
Read the El Panama America article here. It also quotes documents as saying that Pérez never went to any military academy and was only admitted to the Panama Defense Forces because his father was one of Noriega's drinking buddies. Ouch!
Here's an eyewitness account of the hostage taking in the New York Times. And more on the issue here.
war crimes shmor-crimes. Gustavo’s not a bad guy. I just wish he would ease up on all these fucking roadblocks. His boys are bleeding me to death $20 at a time.
Hey! That’s called “ransom payments”. He’s a hostage taker, remember?
Other than that, I think he is a coward. Taking up arms to defend your country is one thing, but taking civilians hostage is what cowards do. Don’t we have anything better than such a despicable piece of crap to head the police?
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