Battle of the oligarchs

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In case you missed it: Our president is on a crusade for respect, peace and justice in our tiny nation and of course he can't use criticism from other rich people who just stand on the sidelines and do nothing. Like I. Roberto Eisenmann, founder of La Prensa, master of Transparency International, chief of Coronado Golf Resorts and what not. He's always attacking our beloved Martinelli with accusations of corruption and it's just not fair.

So, il capo decided to send his tax inspectors to Eisenmann's family business. And then he sent them again, and again, as long as they needed to cook up some flaw in the books, and then they fined Mr. Eisenmann $1.5 million. The result: La Prensa in war-mode with thick fat black headlines, in defense of their oligarch founder. And then Eisenmann made even more accusations, and Martinelli came back with, "prove it!"

Then Martinelli went a bit further and sent a tweet, alluding to another scandal involving Eisenmann yet to be revealed:

Pronto veremos las bellezas de un museo muy caro donde unos supuestos notables malversaron los recursos del estado [Soon we'll see the beauties of a very expensive museum where some so-called notables misspent resources of the state]

With that, he means the Biodiversity Museum, that pile of rubble on the Amador causeway designed by Frank Gehry that was scheduled to open years ago but still isn't finished. And Martinelli is right; there has been corruption in this project and Eisenmann, who is a director, knew about it but kept his mouth shut.

Just like Eisenmann has never explained why he resigned as an adviser of president Mireya Moscoso nor revealed what kind of corruption he witnessed there.

This is of course rather strange for someone so prominently involved in Transparency International (TI) and the fourth estate, but totally consistent with what that toothless TI club stands for, which is not to end corruption but to reduce the cost of bribery for its corporate members. And it jives perfectly with how La Prensa is a vehicle to that end too, and serves to protect the interests of the oligarch clique of which Eisenmann is a prominent member as well as the Latin American extreme right. Some will also remember that Eisenmann was a co-founder of the Miami based Dadeland Bank, which was a repository for Medellin cartel drug money.

So! Martinelli is using totalitarian mobster tactics to silence an important opposition voice, but at least he's doing that against someone with a somewhat shady background as well. Who will win? Probably not Martinelli. He doesn't have enough power to beat Eisenmann and the clique he represents. But il capo might drag it out long enough to make it a fight worth watching. Lucha Libre!

One thought on “Battle of the oligarchs

  1. This is not a Battle of the oligarchs!

    True oligarchs would not accept these actions, they would simply buy then out or up!

    Or just simply erase them as in the new Russia Federation

    It is a bunch of overly rich Morons which by Panamanian standards are wealthier than the god they pretend to pray too!

    A petty feud for absolute power!

    So,Far this Martinelli Bumbling criminal Government has proven it is unable to follow through and complete even the simplest of Contracts, Direct Orders,Regulations,or Laws.

    This Martinelli Bumbling criminal Government does not have enough intellect, power, or real gumption to shut down,remove any of it so called enemies, real or imagined

    Panama with over 120 Banks and over 400,000 register Transnational Multinational Corporations is now second to Hong Kong in Money Laundering!

    While this Criminal Martinelli Government is placing Panama into a Monetary Nightmare which has now become a Financial death spiral.

    What is a few $millions among the $billions being routed through Panama Daily!

    “Panama where the numbers never add up”

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