Waked denies charges against his group

Actualizado 2016/05/07 11:19:26

Redacción/@panamaamerica

list, he argued that he was only responsible for the actions of his own son, Mohamed Abdul Waked, and of his company’s corporate lawyer, Lucía Touzard Romo.

Abdul Mohamed Waked yesterday proclaimed his innocence and denied accusations made by the U.S. Treasury Department, having seen the bank accounts of 68 of his company’s frozen overnight.

In an interview to Colombian W radio station, the businessman uncompromisingly declared that he was “unaware of any investigation into any of these companies”, stating that no government authority had approached him or sought to audit his companies. “We had never, ever been made aware of any investigation into any of our companies: we only found out yesterday like everybody else when it became common news” he declared.

Mr. Waked went on to say that, given the current circumstances, he was awaiting the authorities intervention like an open book, proclaiming that he had absolutely nothing improper to hide. “We shall remain in Panama awaiting further developments: the authorities are welcome to come and inspect my books whenever they wish to do so”, he added.

Mr. Waked’s own nephew, Nidal Waked, was detained at Bogota El Dorado International Airport earlier this week. According to Jack Riley, deputy director of the DEA, “Mr. Nidal Waked has a long history of money laundering and drug trafficking in connection with some of the most sought-after and sophisticated drug cartels.”

For his part, Mr. Abdul Waked denied any business connection with his nephew and the branch of the family he sails from. “Our respective families went their separate ways in the 1980s: as a result, I have no business connection with them”, he said. In relation to the people that appeared in the U.S.

list, he argued that he was only responsible for the actions of his own son, Mohamed Abdul Waked, and of his company’s corporate lawyer, Lucía Touzard Romo.

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Abdul Waked announced on Thursday that Panamanian lawyer Guillermina McDonald will be in charge of his defense. In his radio interview, Mr. Waked went on to rectify some of his lawyer’s recent public statements regarding his supposed ownership of Balboa Bank and Trust. “Ms.

MacDonald has made some erroneous statements regarding that; I am the owner of Wisa S.A., but I have never been, nor am I, a shareholder of Balboa Bank”, he assured. Mr. Waked was at pains to point out that he was never part of the investigations into the Waked brothers that took place in 1990 to 95, and in 2008.

He candidly admitted that he didn’t have a visa to enter the U.S., and as he was unaware of the reason why he had not been granted one. “I have been applying for a U.S. visa year in year out; however every time I'm told that the matter sits with the department of state. It is their country and they are entitled to allow in whorever they deem appropriate. My visa was never cancelled because it was never granted in the first place”, he declared.

Mr. Waked he declared he will do everything in his power to defend the honor of his family.

President Varela’s reaction

This is the second scandal of worldwide proportion that has hit the country during the two short years of the Varela presidency. Last month, the so-called Panama Papers scandal cast an uncomfortable light on the allegedly illicit activities of disgraced law firm Mossack Fonseca. Faced with yet another scandal, President Varela publicly declared that the Panamanian “judicial system and the competent authorities are investigating the matter”. He went on to add that “the Attorney General has launched an immediate investigation and the banking regulator has intervened to preserve the integrity of our financial markets.” President Varela was caught by this latest scandal while on official visit to the United States.

According to economist Maribel Gordon, this is yet another nail in the coffin of President Varela’s claim that his government would be corruption free. “This is not what the country has been seeing”, she assured. Professor Juan Jovane upped the ante by declaring that President Varela is leading the country down the path of a “failed state”, lacking as he does a clear plan to solve all the pressing problems currently facing the country.