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(CNN Spanish) - Panama's attorney general, Kenya Porcell, announced on Tuesday his resignation, effective on January 1, 2020, following the revelations of alleged controversial communications between the head of the Public Ministry and then President Juan Carlos Varela, who ruled Panama from 2014 to 2019.
These are the "Varela Leaks", more than 24 gigabytes of WhatsApp messages published on the Internet, which expose today's ex-president's conversations with the Nation's attorney, the comptroller and several businessmen, among others.
On Porcell, there are supposed requests for personal favors, influence peddling and possible interference of the former president in case management in the Public Prosecutor's Office. For example, they realize how, according to the messages, the procurator, Juan Carlos Varela and his brother José Luis Varela, would have orchestrated the penalty agreements between the Panamanian government with the Odebrecht company, after the construction company’s statements, which unleashed scandals of corruption in several countries.
About the conversations, which according to the portal, were extracted from a cell phone lost from former president Varela, the ex-president assured through a statement that he did not lose any cell phone, and suggests that it is “illegal interventions of private conversations”.
He also defended himself by pointing out that what was extracted from his cell phone "has been distorted, altered and manipulated", and that he evaluates filing legal actions "in the face of an obvious violation of privacy."
CNN contacted Varela's brother, who said he was accepting the ex-president's version.
Questioned on the issue, the president of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, said he hopes "not to be punctured", that is, intervened in his communications.
Although CNN requested Porcell's reaction on more than one occasion, on Tuesday the head of the Public Ministry spoke only to the Radio Panama station, to which she said she had not read the content of the “Varela Leaks”, which only had references by third parties, and that would not open ex officio investigation. That due to the seriousness of the crime, he expected former President Varela to file the complaint. So far there is no investigation.
Kenya Porcell took advantage of the interview to announce that this Wednesday he will present to President Cortizo his resignation, effective as of January 1, 2020, to allow a transition in the institution of justice.
After this announcement, the Ministry of Communication of the State informed that the president met with Porcell and that the official had informed him of his decision to resign.
“The rule of law is one of the pillars of the #GoodGovernment. Guaranteeing a transparent and independent justice system and restoring confidence to Panamanians is our duty to the State, ”President Cortizo wrote in his Twitter account.
Kenya Porcell was appointed by the then President Juan Carlos Varela in December 2014, and for a period of 10 years, which was due in 2024.
With the departure of Porcell, it will be President Laurentino Cortizo who has to designate in the next few days the new head of the Public Ministry.
