‘An open secret’ is how Panama’s Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado described bribes paid by the Brazilian engineering company Odebrecht to corrupt officials in Panama under the previous Cambio Democrático (CD) administration led by Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014). The case – in which, according to the US Department of Justice, more than US$59m was paid in bribes to secure public works and infrastructure contracts valued at US$175m – is serving as the latest source of public anger about corruption in Panama, upping the pressure on the government led by President Juan Carlos Varela to show that it is seeking to address what remains a key public concern.End of preview - This article contains approximately 449 words.
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