Panama Court Upholds Detention for Ex-AIG Administrator Luis Oliva Amid Corruption Probe

Panama's Superior Court of Appeals has again confirmed the provisional detention order for Luis Oliva, the former administrator of the Government Innovation Authority (AIG) from 2019 to 2024.

Oliva's defense sought to overturn the decision made by the Court of Guarantees, which denied a change to his precautionary measures. During the hearing, the Superior Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office, investigating Oliva for unjustified enrichment, argued that the risks leading to his detention have not changed. This investigation stems from an audit by the Comptroller General of the Republic, which identified a suspected unexplained increase in wealth exceeding $937,000.

The lead prosecutor, Patricia Herrera, stated that no new elements were presented to mitigate the risk factors for Oliva's detention. Oliva's defense also requested a $50,000 bail, but the court did not consider it, citing the lack of new evidence to replace the detention measure.

In addition to the enrichment charges, Oliva is under investigation for offenses against public administration. This separate case involves the irregular contracting of the LISTO platform, used for managing payments for programs like Vale Digital, PASE-U, and universal scholarships. While he was initially subject to reporting requirements for this case, his arrest on January 29th of this year was due to the unjustified enrichment investigation, leading to this latest appeal hearing.

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All was presented and argued.