CENTRAL AMERICAN ROUNDUP
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| October 12, 1996 | |
Panama prez makes cabinet changes (LATIN.NET) -- Panama's President Ernesto Perez Balladares has switched his close friend Olmedo Miranda to the key post of Minister of the Presidency. The new Finance Minister is Miranda's former deputy Miguel Heras. Raul Arango, previously Minister of the Presidency, moved to the Commerce ministry to replace Nitzia de Villarreal. The moves are designed to shore up Perez Balladares' support within the Democratic Revolutionary Party. | Arzu mounts anti-corruption drive (LATIN.NET) -- Guatemalan leader Alvaro Arzu is promising to continue the unprecedented purge against corruption. "We are not going to stop, we won't make distinctions of any kind (for anyone), be they officials of the government, the private sector, the military, civilians, congressmen, labor officials or journalists." The latest casualty is the deputy Interior Minister Mario Rene Cifuentes who was dismissed last week for his alleged links with Alfredo Moreno Molina, a leading figure in the so-called 'contraband Mafia' whose arrest two weeks ago triggered the dismissal of the deputy Finance Minister, senior army and police officers, and top officials at the Customs Department. The contraband ring is estimated by the Finance Ministry to have cheated the government of $180m a year. The existence of a "contraband mafia" in Guatemala has been an open secret for many years, but civilian governments, fearful of the power wielded by the group, preferred to turn a blind eye -- until now. Those dismissed to date include the deputy defense minister, Guatemala's military attache to Washington, the customs inspector general, the administrator of the central customs office, the chiefs of three border customs offices, and the police chiefs of five provinces. The implications for stability in Guatemala are potentially serious. Moves against corrupt military officers in the past have invariably been accompanied by attempts to destabilize the country through violence and assassinations. Death threats have already been issued by the 'Group For The Vindication of the Guatemalan Army (PREGUA),' a faction within the military, against the President, Foreign Minister, constitutionalist officers and human rights activists.
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The above articles appeared in Latin.Net, a weekly newsletter published by Dr. Chris Brogan that provides an analysis of key event's in Latin America. More information about the newsletter can be obtained at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/LatinNet/ | |
| October 5, 1996 | |
Costa Rica's bank monopoly ends The monopoly held by
Costa Rica's state-run
banks came to an end
last week. Private banks
can now offer clients
checking accounts,
including payroll
checking accounts, and
will qualify for
emergency Central Bank
bailout loans.
Implementation of the
| Top Costa Rican firm requests judicial intervention Shockwaves have been sent through Costa Rica's business sector after one of the country's leading companies, Lachner & Saenz (L&S), requested administration by judicial intervention. The company, which began as an auto importer and later diversified into home-building and forestry, has been badly hit by the downswing in the economy. Car sales, for instance, plunged by 50 percent in the first six months. The crisis is expected to strengthen pressure on the government to quicken the pace of economic reactivation.
U.S. base reverts to Panama Following the transfer to Panamanian control today of a third U.S. military base, the government plans to move quickly to turn Fort Amador, a 398-acre site on the Pacific end of the Canal, into a major tourism complex. Some $400 million has been earmarked for investment in the area. The project includes a golf course, a yacht club, a marina, hotels, tourist villas and a street-car public transport system. Panamanian authorities have signed a contract and four letters of intent with national and foreign investors who will develop the site. The base, valued at $129.4 million, includes an office complex, a post office, a 500-seat theater, a community club, 185 family houses, a 1,800-square-meter warehouse, a golf course and a motel. In September, the United States vacated the David and Espinar bases. Under a 1977 treaty, the United States is committed to turning over all its military posts to Panama by the end of 1999. |
The above articles appeared in Latin.Net, a weekly newsletter published by Dr. Chris Brogan that provides an analysis of key event's in Latin America. More information about the newsletter can be obtained at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/LatinNet/ | |
