Panama Luis Carlos Gomez on Wednesday was awarded a decades-long contract with Panama Port Company (PPC), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port District, and said it was “unconstitutional” to operate two ports on the Panama Canal. It has been reported.
Gomez officially Proposed It rules the Panama Supreme Court that it will rule that a decades-long agreement violates the fundamental principles of the country's constitution and rules that it declares a contract unconstitutional on the ground that it provides a “unbalanced right” to the management of the two ports today.
Panama and PPC originally signed a contract in January 1997, granting the company a 25-year concession to develop and manage two ports in the provinces of Balboa and Cristobal. Both ports are located on the other side of the Panama Canal.
Panama Canal Bureau update The additional 25 years of concession in June 2021, according to the terms of the original transaction in 1997, reportedly allowed the company to automatically renew as long as it complies with the agreed terms. As a result, control of the PPC on the two ports will run until 2047.
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In a 54-page report dated February 19, but in a 54-page report published Wednesday, the 1997 deal violated 15 articles in the Panama Constitution. Gomez argued that the terms of the agreement ignore the public interest of the nation established by the constitution and suppress free competition.
Gomez further argued that the contract contains evidence of a “basic violation” of constitutional regulations, pointing to the possibility of a lack of transparency in negotiations, unequal competition and damage to the interests of the Panama state.
Gomez issued a report in response to a lawsuit against a 1997 transaction filed in February by Panama lawyers Julio Macias and Norman Castro. It is reportedly Without necessary prior consultations with Panama society before signing the contract, it allegedly conferred that Hong Kong-owned companies were granted privileges and immunities that included tax-related companies to undermine the Ministry of Finance.
The Panama Supreme Court reportedly established a 10-day period on Tuesday to present arguments by stakeholders.
According to In a local newspaper La Estrella de Panama, PPCs “earn millions of revenues” lease In addition to revenues obtained from the management of the two ports, land and assets to other companies operating within the concession area.
In late January, local governments began an audit of the Panama Port Company. Argentine Outlet Infobe explained Hong Kong-owned companies are “examples” of China's existence in trade routes. Hong Kong belonged to the UK for decades before the country handed over to China in July 1997. In 2020, China ended its “one country, two systems” policy that prevented Beijing from impose the country's communist law through a “national security” law aimed at suppressing democratic protests.
La Estrella de Panama On Wednesday, Panama's Secretary Anel Flores held a meeting with representatives of Panama's Maritime Authority as part of the audit process.
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An audit that was not concluded at the time of reporting occurred amid continuing debate launched by President Donald Trump in December, calling on the US to regain control of the Panama Canal and denounces the influence and control of China's intermaritime trade routes.
Last week, Chairman of the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Louis E. Sora insisted in an official statement that Panama Canal staff must experience Chinese security to reach their daily workplace. Sora emphasized that China's growing influence on the canal is “troubled and must be addressed.”
That was the statement revision On Tuesday evening, we will delete the statement Sora claimed. “An example of the unacceptable current situation is that mission-critical ACP employees must pass through Chinese security to reach their daily work,” Sora asked President Trump to use the US Sovereign wealth fund to invest in Panama to combat China's impact on the canal.
The Panama Canal Bureau (ACP) rebutted Chairman Sora's claim in a statement shared with a local outlet on Monday, claiming that “canal workers in charge of important operations will pass through Chinese security and reach their daily workplaces.”
The ACP asked in a statement whether Sola's references were related to “1000 construction,” a facility listed by the authorities. Website As the office of the Cristobal Harbor Controller. According to the ACP, the building mentioned was operated “until before the canal moved in 1999, without implying interference or intervention in canal operations.”
Christian K. Calzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
