Cientos de familiares y amigos se congregaron en la explanada donde se celebró el Festival Nova, lugar de la mayor masacre dentro de la oleada de ataques...
- 27/08/2009 02:00
PANAMA. Belgis Castro, the third Education Minister named in the five years reign of the Martin Torrijos administration is facing corru...
PANAMA. Belgis Castro, the third Education Minister named in the five years reign of the Martin Torrijos administration is facing corruption accusations that if proved could land him in jail.
Castro ,who was scheduled yesterday at the Anti-corruption Prosecution office, has to answer for alleged mismanagement of tens of million dollars of the Education Ministry.
On the eve of the questioning he claimed he had health problem but was sent to the Legal Medicine department to determine his condition. The maneuvering that appeared not to work because the questioning went on.
Castro had 30 years experience record in the education sector as a history and philosophy professor and logic and history teacher. From academia he moved on to public administration in September 2004 with political ambitions in mind.
Torrijos named him general director of the Human Resources Institute IFARHU. Then, after Miguel Angel Cañizales, the second education minister during Torrijos, left to become Panama's ambassador to Spain, he went on to become the head of the Education Ministry (MEDUCA).
For seven months he led the ministry.
With only 60 days in office, the biggest proved scandal in the Torrijos administration exploded: the embezzlement of $1.5 million from the Education's Quality and Equity Fund (FECE) by ministry employees, educators and local businessmen.
Also the beginning of the school year was the worst of recent years. Schools were not repaired, teachers were not being appointed leading to street protests. To top it off, his administration gave birth to the biggest departmental monster of the era: the state schools fiberglass pollution which led to classes being suspended across the country to protect the health of teachers and students.
Protests prompted the government to assign a $10 million budget for the removal and clean up of the fiberglass in the schools.
With the fattening of the budget other scandals involving ministry funds including direct contracts emerged.
Carlos Vallarino, the nation's comptroller, said the irregularities being investigated are unfulfilled contracts that were paid out.
“There are private companies involved and we will investigate that too.” he said.
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