Poisoning case drags on in court

PANAMA. Three years have passed since diethylene glycol, used was detected in medicines from the Social Security hospitals.

At least 130 patients died and many others had permanent damage from the poison.

Although the nation's General attorney has said the public ministry has done a complete investigation and the judge appointed to the case, Esmeralda Troitiño presented a proposal for the case to go to trial, it could be sent back to the Public Ministry.

Two of the judges of the penal circuit of the Supreme Court, Anibal Salas and Jacinto Cardenas have present a counter proposal saying that the investigation has inconsistencies and more research is needed.

Gabriel Pascual, a representative of the Relatives of the Diethylene glycol Victims Committee, welcomed the news.

“For us it is fundamental that the file returns to the Public Ministry because it needs to be widened and the companies and government employees involved in the poison's purchase must be called”.

He said also that Judge Troitiño had no interest in widening the investigation.

“It is not a matter of delaying the process, but of making decisions” said Troitiño.

She believes that the Public Ministry did a thorough research and that it clearly shows a a crime was committed and there were people affected.

She has said the case does not need further investigation and it should move on to the analysis of the people involved.

In 2006, doctors and nurses from the Social Security hospitals in Panama, city noticed kidney failure and sudden deaths among patients for no apparent reason.

They all had the same symptoms.

It wasn’t until later when the information became public that it waa revealed that a common denominator was present in all the deaths.

The toxic diethylene glycol was detected in medicines that the social Security was giving the patients.

In April of this year, the 130th victim died.