Stolen Statues Worth $210,000 As Scrap Metal

By RAFAEL RODRÍGUEZ for La Estrella - President Martin Torrijos reiterated his confidence in the investigations the Public Ministry is conducting to find those guilty of the theft of 42 pieces of sculpture of the “Juegos de Antaño” that were taken more than a month ago from a storage facility located in the Parque Omar in Panama City. Torrijos did not want to speak much about this corruption scandal, limiting himself to say "I have confidence that the Public Ministry will do a good investigation." But reality seems to me something different. The (then) Second Anti-Corruption public prosecutor (in charge), Grisell Mojica, conducted thirteen searches in Panama City and in the interior of the country, and in addition took sworn statements from twelve civil servants and businessmen. Nevertheless, there are no signs of these bronze statues valued at more than $1.5 million dollars. The investigation of this case is now in the hands of the newly appointed Second Anti Corruption prosecutor Ramsés Barrera, who will have to call to testify the various people who were responsible for the safekeeping of these statues. Among the government employees who still have to be interrogated in this case are the members of the Institutional Protection Service (SPI) who were working when the statues were stolen. The Director of the Parque Omar Mingthoy Giro will also have to give her testimony because the doors of the storage facility where the statues were being stored were not forced open or damaged. Meanwhile, Panama's Solicitor of the Nation, Ana Matilde Gomez is still waiting for the Minister of the Presidency Dilio Arcia to send her documentation regarding the status of the projects coordinator of the office of the first lady, Mingthoy Giro. Lawyers for Mingthoy Giro said that this week she will break her silence and is prepared to speak with journalists to clear any doubts surrounding this scandal that has monopolized the attention of the Panamanian society. (See Comments)

Editor's Comment: I imagine that these statues have left Panama a long time ago in a container headed to China to be melted down as scrap metal. There's little chance that anyone stole them as a "work of art" or something like that. Panama's former president Mireya Moscoso hired Colombian sculptor Héctor Lombana create the statues. Moscoso also hired this same sculptor to build and install a huge statue to honor her deceased husband Arnulfo Arias, which was parked on the corner in Ancon right on top of what used to be the old DENI building. That was seen as a tremendous slap in the face to the PRD - they basically hate Arnulfo Arias. In short, these works of art are highly politicized in Panama. There's practically no doubt in anyone's mind Panamanian first lady Vivian Torrijos ordered them to be removed and transferred to the storage facility in the Parque Omar. Then someone (don't know who) probably gave the order to have the statues sold as scrap metal - and the cash from that sale was pocketed. Ain't art wunderful.

What Are They Worth? The value of the statues that's being thrown around - $1.5 million - is a value someone assigned to them as a work of art. In reality the government of Panama paid about $290,000 to have them built. The actual tangible value resides in the statues in the form of scrap metal. So, what was stolen? The $290,000 (more or less), tax money used to pay for them, and the thief received the value of the metal in scrap. And, what's the scrap worth? From what I understand these statues weighed as much as 35 tons total. That's as much as 70,000 pounds of bronze which is actually mostly copper. Right now on the scrap market copper is worth about $3.00 per pound, which means someone could have gotten as much as $210,000 for the statues as scrap metal alone. I'm sure you're asking "what the hell?" Back in the first part of this decade when these statues were commissioned copper was down around $1.00 per pound. Now, it's up to somewhere between $3.00 and $4.00 per pound. So, when they were built the sculptor had to use just $70,000 of the $290,000 fee he collected for materials. Today, those same raw materials have basically tripled or quadrupled in value. So, where are the damn statues? Most likely long gone. Will anyone eventually go to jail for this theft of more than a quarter of a million dollars of public funds? Very highly unlikely. So much for "zero corruption," eh?

No hay rastros de los ‘Juegos de Antaño’

07-10-2008 | RAFAEL RODRÍGUEZ rrodriguez@laestrella.com.pa

El mandatario Martín Torrijos confía que el MP hará un buen trabajo investigativo

Nacional PANAMÁ. El presidente Martín Torrijos reiteró su confianza en las investigaciones que está realizando el Ministerio Público para dar con los culpables del hurto de las 42 piezas de “Juegos de Antaño”, ocurrido hace más de un mes dentro del depósito del parque Omar, en San Francisco.

El mandatario Torrijos no quiso profundizar sobre este escándalo de corrupción, y solo se limitó a decir: “tengo confianza que el Ministerio Público hará un buen trabajo investigativo”.

Pero la realidad parece que es otra. La entonces fiscal segunda anticorrupción encargada, Grisell Mojica realizó trece allanamientos en la ciudad capital y en el interior del país, además practicó 12 declaraciones juradas a funcionarios y empresarios. Sin embargo, no existe rastros de estas estatuas de bronce, valoradas en 1.5 millón de dólares.

Las investigaciones de este caso están a cargo del nuevo fiscal segundo anticorrupción, Ramsés Barrera, quien tendrá que llamar a declarar a los principales responsables de la custodia de estas estatuas.

Entre los funcionarios que están pendientes de ser interrogados son: los miembros del Servicio de Proteccción Institucional (SPI) que se encontraban de turno cuando fueron hurtadas estas estatuas.

También tendrá que brindar su testimonio la directora del parque Omar, Mingthoy Giro, porque las puertas del depósito de este parque no fueron violentadas cuando fueron sacadas los “Juegos de Antaño”.

Mientras que la procuradora de la Nación, Ana Matilde Gómez está a la espera que el ministro de la Presidencia, Dilio Arcia remita la documentación sobre el status de la coordinadora de proyectos del despacho de la primera dama, Mingthoy Giro.

Por su parte, los abogados de Mingthoy Giro informaron que esta semana la funcionaria romperá el silencio y está dispuesta a hablar con los periodistas, para despejar cualquiera duda de este escándalo que acaparó la atención de la sociedad panameña.