Panama’s Comptroller Announces Halt to State Vehicle Purchases

Panama’s comptroller general says the state will stop buying new vehicles while officials determine how many cars government agencies actually need.

Anel Flores announced the decision on Monday, September 7, during his appearance before the National Assembly’s Budget Committee. He said he had signed a note suspending the purchases and would send it to Economy and Finance Minister Felipe Chapman.

Flores said the government must first compare the cost of buying vehicles with renting them, including maintenance. He said officials were conducting that financial analysis and that the present value of renting was much lower than purchasing, based on his experience in the private sector.

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What we have decided, including with Minister Chapman, is that we should pause. Let us see what we are going to do because we have to make a decision that, in the end, I believe will benefit everyone here and all Panamanians, since it is their resources that are being invested.

The review will also classify the different vehicle categories required by government agencies and examine existing fleets. Flores said the state has tens of thousands of vehicles, making it necessary to determine how many each entity owns and how many it actually uses.

The announcement came as the Contraloría presented its recommended 2027 budget, set at $145 million for operations and investment. Flores also reported progress on audits: the institution inherited 1,091 pending requests, has completed about 600, and still has 476 to finish. During his administration, it received 841 requests from 2025-26 and sent 601 to the Public Ministry.

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What we have to do now is really go into each entity to see how many vehicles it has and how many it actually uses. Because it is not a very easy study to carry out.