The sudden transfer of Mayer Mizrachi from Colombia to Panama had a very well defined purpose: namely, that of opening a new legal case against him.
Anti-Corruption public prosecutor Janeth Rovetto is investigating Mr. Mizrachi for corruption of public official. According to news published by some local media, the prosecutor is expected to call Mr. Mizrachi for questioning on September 12.
Mr. Silvio Guerra, who acts as lawyer to Mr. Mizrachi, has declared that his client has not been notified of the new charges brought against him.
Mr. Guerra condemned the swiftness with which new charges have been brought against his client, 'who had barely landed'. “It is the same case under different guises”, he stated.
Mr. Mizrachi was investigated by another Anti-Corruption prosecutor for the supposed embezzlement of $200,000. The company he founded and runs, Criptext, sold licenses to access his company’s virtual platform to state institutions via a contract signed by the Government Innovation Authority (AIG) back in 2014.
According to Mr. Guerra, that investigation has no legs and will be soon archived. The date for a preliminary hearing in the 13 th Court of the Penal Circuit is still pending.
He criticized as "highly unfortunate" that fact that information over the existence of ne charges against his client should be first broadcast via local media, without his client being as much as notified by the relevant authorities.
Yesterday morning, Mr. Mizrachi appeared at the 13th court, which is presided over by Alina Hubiedo, to pay a bail of $100,000 in exchange for his freedom.
In spite of the fact that no arrest warrant against him was in place, Mr. Mizrachi was received by police units upon his arrival at Tocumen Airport in the small hours of the morning. He was immediately taken into police custody, and was detained for 8 hours at the Ancon police station.
Mr. Mizrachi was later taken to the Supreme Court, where Justice Hubiedo ordered an impediment to leave the country.
Mr. Mizrachi condemned the restrictive measure, arguing that it will prevent him from carrying out his duties at his company, which is headquartered in the USA.
Political persecution
'This appears to me to be a completely political case', Mr. Mizrachi said in declarations to those media that were awaiting his departure from court upon his being released from custody.
The manner in which he was extradited from Colombia and transferred to Panama was indeed suspicious. Mr. Mizrachi’s lawyer, who was by his side since his arrival in Panama, accused the authorities of trying every trick in the book to keep his client locked up.
Mr. Mizrachi declared that upon arriving at Tocumen Airport at 12.50 AM, he was immediately escorted out of the terminal without being able to see his family.
Mr. Guerra denounced his client's detention as illegal, since the second higher tribunal of justice had previously ordered that Mr. Mizrachi, who had paid the required bail, be returned to freedom.
'Panama is my home and I am happy to be here' Mr. Mizrachi declared, adding that his return to the country would make it easier for the “truth [about his case] to transpire”.
His case has received a high degree of international publicity, given his high profile in the world of technology start-ups. Forbes Magazine published an article on Mr. Mizrachi’s plight while he was being detained in Colombia earlier this year.
As Mr. Mizrachi spoke in front of the media, he listed all the facts supporting his innocence.
He explained how when he noticed that his software was not being utilized by the new administration, he wrote to the new director of the AIG, Irvin Halman, offering a free six-month extension to the service in order to aid its adoption.
Instead, Mr. Halman chose not to accept the offer and stopped using the application. In addition, Mr. Halman failed to exercise the surety bond that came with the contract as an insurance aimed at covering its cost in the event of its cancellation.
