VARELA LEAKS
VARELA LEAKS Download all (24.91 GB)
We are a group of Latin American citizens committed to democracy and tired of the corruption and abuse of our authorities.
Until we arrived, a cell phone, a device that after verifying it we could verify that it contains the WhatsApp conversations held between 2017 and 2018 by the now-former president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela with members of his cabinet, the Attorney General, ambassadors and representatives of international political life, in which influence peddling and corruption at the highest level are revealed in this Central American country, and in general throughout the region.
We are a group with very limited resources, it has taken us a few weeks to begin to understand the implications of everything that was found there and we still have a lot to read, so we decided to turn to technology and all those who like us are tired and that takes advantage of citizens.
We prepare a viewer that is on this page and allow all conversations to be available in the same way that we receive them, open and unedited so that among thousands of eyes we analyze what is there, and give context. Even the device's material, such as the image gallery, is intact, for those who want to find out about private life.
We have also contacted several media so that they also participate in the analysis, dissemination and investigation of this case, hoping that by participating in the privacy of a device like the one found here, we will not leave unpunished characters that day by day make fun of us.
We are finishing processing the data, to be presented in its entirety, however, due to the importance of the content we decided to advance its publication in part.
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The conversation of Juan Carlos Varela with:
Federico Humbert
Conversations via WhatsApp between former President Federico Humbert also revolved around favours for state contractors, blockade of assembly items, negotiations for appointments to deputies such as Yanibel Abrego and Dana Castañeda, massive imports of rice from Guyana, and the appointment of the comptroller's son-in-law in the Savings Fund directive. In addition, Varela imposed the Comptroller's agenda to establish which audit took priority, contradicting the principle of independence that Humbert has in this case.
Even both refer to the current president Laurentino Cortizo as a demagogue for his victory speech in the PRD primaries.
In one of the messages, Humbert asks Varela that the MOP minister, Ramón Arosemena, desist from applying a bond for a breach of the Astaldi company as this would disable it for three years and could not participate in line 3 of the subway. Varela accesses Humbert's request according to the conversation.
Varela also asks Humbert to endorse an IBT company chain so that he can continue presenting invoices against the Panamanian State.
They also talk about how to financially block the births of deputies as a way of pressing for ratification and other interests of the Executive, including talking about meetings between the Comptroller and Deputy Benicio Robinson.
In another of the chats, Humbert claims Varela for the appointment of his son-in-law Ivan in the board of the FAP.
New! Now you can see the conversations as in WhatsApp without downloading anything.
Note: It is recommended to see it on a computer.
WITH THE ENTERPRISES Download
The conversation of Juan Carlos Varela with:
Pedro Heilbron, Stanley Motta, Janeth Pool, Taher Yaffar, Jack Harari, Max Harari, Guillermo Liberman
Former President Juan Carlos Varela coordinated direct telephone business with the State in favour of a select group of businessmen (donors of his campaign) where there is a clear conflict of influence peddling.
With Pedro Heilbron (president of Copa Airlines), Varela maintains a strong intention to work to clear the way to the airline at Tocumen airport and through negotiations of new frequencies to destinations such as Canada. All through the apparatus of the Panamanian Government. Even during a power outage at the airport, Varela asks Tocumen's manager, Carlos Duboy, to pay the food of the affected passengers.
In conversations with Yaneth Pool (Machetazo and Bering Motors supermarkets), Varela admits that I give her the business of selling Hyundai buses and the resocialization bonds of the Ministry of Security since she was also asking for the purchase contract Of toys. In 2018, the Machetazo is excluded from Panama Compra by Minister Alvaro Alemán, but Varela again interceded to favour Pool.
Varela became an advisor to the El Machetazo supermarkets that was going through strong financial problems and debts with the General Bank and Banesco.
Varela also interceded for Pool in the treadmill business of the Tocumen SA airport. However, the former president repeatedly asked Pool that the Machetazo pay the outstanding bill with the liquor store of his family Varela Hermanos SA of more than 300 thousand Dollars.
Taher Yaffar, Varela intervenes directly in the opening of a McDonald's restaurant inside the Soho Mall which had been intervened by his government and then forced businessman Abdul Waked to sell it to a Mexican group. In the conversation, Yaffar, being reunited with Luis Varela, asks Varela to press the Mexicans to sell him space, but Varela responded by saying that for the moment he had only obtained the rent so that the restaurant would open for him 30 days later.
In the same way, Varela handled himself with other businessmen for purposes of his purpose.
New! Now you can see the conversations as in WhatsApp without downloading anything.
Note: It is recommended to see it on a computer.
Pedro Heilbron Stanley Motta Janeth Pool Taher Yaffar Jack Harari Max Harari Guillermo Liberman
WITH THE PROCURADOR-SECURITY COUNCIL Download
The conversation of Juan Carlos Varela with:
Kenya Porcell (two accounts), Rolando López (Board Director)
The conversions of former President Juan Carlos Varela with the Procurator Kenya Porcell and the head of the Security Council are the overwhelming evidence of influence peddling and how information was manipulated to cover it up in the Odebrecht case and to assemble cases against figures like Ramón Fonseca Mora , former President Ricardo Martinelli, Abdul Waked, and others.
The conversations reveal that Attorney Porcell always acted in Varela's service despite having found evidence and accusations that link him directly to the monies paid by Odebrecht. Porcell acted as his accomplice and even looked for ways to get Varela out of Odebrecht's research each time.
It was a daily communication where, apart from focusing on finding a way to extradite Martinelli and his children to Panama, Porcell became the adviser of political and personal issues.
In the talks, Porcell came to ask Varela for help so that the Revenue Department would raise a kidnapping on his accounts for not paying taxes that accumulated more than 170 thousand dollars. In the information, Porcell refers to his new rest house in his hometown, Las Minas de Herrera and another favour that Varela did for the National Bank to approve a loan to his sister for more than 120 thousand dollars.
In the conversations, Kenya Porcell refers to his differences with the head of the Security Council, but Varela avoids the issue since it is another of his cards in his plan of manipulation of justice.
López was in charge of processing all the information through a police unit called Damaris that he kept within the Public Ministry. Apart from López, he maintained contact with Porcell's best ally, Commissioner Daniel Arroyo.
Lopez notified daily those who were detained with precautionary measures in cases such as Blue Apple.
New! Now you can see the conversations as in WhatsApp without downloading anything.
Note: It is recommended to see it on a computer.
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The conversation of Juan Carlos Varela with:
Fernando Berguido, Mercedes “Chelle” Corró, Stanley Motta, Miguel Heras, Raúl Velázquez (El Chacal)
Former President Juan Carlos Varela did not hide his obsession with what the media published against his government, including issues such as parallel prosecution, the land for the Chinese embassy, Odebrecht, high crime, among other issues.
In his conversations on WhatsApp, it is revealed how Varela had control of the newspaper La Prensa through Fernando Berguido, former president of this newspaper and whom he appointed an ambassador to Italy at the beginning of his government. The conversations reveal how Varela complained about several La Prensa notes and Berguido pleased him by calling to repress the director of the medium, Rita Vásquez. Even Varela told Berguido that he was investigating a La Prensa journalist because he believed he was working for the interests of Mello Alemán.
Berguido also becomes another kind of advisor for Varela and came up to correct several communications, including the one issued for the case of the parallel prosecutor and the land of the Chinese embassy.
In the case of the parallel attorney general's office, Berguido reported to Varela that he had received the call from the journalist Adelita Coriat, from La Estrella de Panamá, asking if he had held a meeting with the head of the parallel attorney's office, lawyer Rogelio Saltarín.
In that conversation, Berguido referred to the journalist Coriat in derogatory terms (HP).
Varela also showed an obsession with TVN reports and interviews, complaining to owners Stanley Motta and Miguel Heras of journalists Sabrina Bacal and Castalia Pascual, who had been their first press secretary.
From Bacal, Varela tells her that she is unprofessional and that all the journalists on this television do not have a good one. In equal terms, Varela claimed Miguel Heras in several conversations.
In another conversation his brother Popi Varela, Varela had manifested himself in a homophobic way against another journalist from Channel 2, Icar Reyes, for asking him about Odebrecht's donations after a Eucharistic Mass.
Another of Varela's communications about the media is with the Mexican Raúl Velázquez whom he hired to directly attack the Panama América y Crítica newspapers. The conversations reveal Varela's direct handling with the Mexican for direct attacks on the media through the networks and also against the deputy Zulay Rodríguez.
In the conversation, Velásquez demanded a delay in his payment of $ 10,000 each month and the former president sent him to charge Deputy Adolfo Valderrama and his brother Popi Varela. Later, Velasquez informed the president that Beby Valderrama never paid him the debt that already exceeded 50 thousand dollars.
New! Now you can see the conversations as in WhatsApp without downloading anything.
Note: It is recommended to see it on a computer.
Fernando Berguido Mercedes "Chelle" ran Stanley Motta Miguel Heras Raul Velazquez
ABOUT ODEBRECHT Download
The conversation of Juan Carlos Varela with:
Jaime Lasso, Deputy Varela, Daniel Arroyo, Jorge Alberto Rosas, Andrés Rabello
These conversations reveal how President Juan Carlos Varela, identified on Whatsapp as JJ, coordinated with brother José Luis Varela (identified as Popi), Dr Jaime Lasso, and Commissioner Daniel Arroyo, the whole strategy to manipulate the delation agreements with Joa Santana and the former head of Odebrecht in Panama, Andrés Rabello.
The information reveals that there were a series of trips from Brazil and in which a work scheme was established to ensure that the two accusations were adapted to the process led by the Attorney General Kenya Porcell.
The trips were always coordinated between Popi Varela and Commissioner Arroyo, the closest figure to Porcell. Popi was in charge of making the negotiations prior to each trip that Commissioner Arroyo made on behalf of the Public Ministry. Even Popi Varela went into Brazil for several seasons trying to fix everything with Andrés Rabello so that the issue did not affect his brother, the then president of Panama.
Everything was reported by Popi Varela to his brother President. In one of the writings, the president makes a comment for the TVN journalist, Icar Reyes, who qualifies him several times as gay in a derogatory manner.
Arroyo also ends up being Varela's trusted staff, who approves paying a medical consultation to his son in one of the most expensive hospitals in New York. He even wrote to him so that one day before his trip he would go through cash for his extra expenses.
While with Lasso, the former Panamanian president himself coordinated the way in which the accounts of the monies he received from Odebrecht would be presented through societies such as V Tech and Poseidon. Varela assured Lasso in the talks that he would be dismissed by the Public Prosecutor's Office, he even coordinated his inquiry date and that his brother Popi Varela would be waiting for him in his car when he left so he wouldn't face the journalists.
The Odebrecht issue is also treated between former President Varela and Deputy José Alberto Rosas because the process was progressing in the Court. It was later learned that his case was filed.
With Rosas, Varela refers in a derogatory and homophobic way against the deputy Juan Diego Vásquez.
New! Now you can see the conversations as in WhatsApp without downloading anything.
Note: It is recommended to see it on a computer.
Jaime Lasso Deputy Varela Daniel Arroyo Jorge Alberto Rosas Andres Rabello
WITH THE PRIVATE SECRETARIES Download
The Conversation of Juan Carlos Varela with:
Raúl Sandoval, Ronal Campbell, Rafael Flores, Kenya Porcell
Former President Juan Carlos Varela came to operate with three private secretaries: Raúl Sandoval, Rafael Flores, and Ronal Campbell.
According to the WhatsApp conversations, Raúl “Rauli” Sandoval was the person who handled a small box of money to Varela for payments of politics and personal matters. In addition to giving priority to appointments of businessmen who maintained business with the government as Janeth Pool.
In one of the conversations, Sandoval informed Varela that those where he had his bank accounts (General Bank, Global Bank, Capital Bank, Metrobank) made a ROS report to the Financial Analysis Unit and that everything had to do with a check of 600 thousand dollars they received from businessman Oscar Rivera. Even Sandoval tells Varela that he had to answer a questionnaire about this case and the president simply said he was not going to do it. However, Varela acknowledged that if he received between 30 or 50 thousand dollars from Rivera.
Sandoval also emerged in the conversation between former President Varela and Attorney Porcell due to the complaint he received for unjustified enrichment. In the conversation, Porcell recommended to Varela that Sandoval go out to testify and arranged an appointment with the prosecutor in order to allow him to get out of the scandal and without being investigated.
In the conversation with Flores, few saved chat; while with Campbell the issues with Varela focus on operational issues of his trips, scholarship allocation, discretionary departure and social assistance.
New! Now you can see the conversations as in WhatsApp without downloading anything.
Note: It is recommended to see it on a computer.
Raul Sandoval Ronal Campbell Rafael Flores Kenya Porcell
WITH VENEZUELA Download
The conversation of Juan Carlos Varela with:
Delcy Rodríguez, representative of the government of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, Foreign Minister of Venezuela
The WhatsApp talks between the then president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, identified as JJ, and the president of the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, and separately with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, are rapid, provocative and of mutual institutional respect.
Venezuelans receive Varela's messages very suspiciously, despite the fact that Varela repeatedly mentions that they will find a sincere friend despite ideological differences, which is not accepted by either of them.
In the talks, the Venezuelan government's decision stands out, in texts by Delcy Rodríguez, to suspend economic relations for 90 days with several Panamanian people and companies, linked to the Odebrecht case and money laundering corruption. The measure explained the Venezuelan to Varela is to protect the Venezuelan financial system that is subject to attacks and sanctions with Panama, and at the same time by the United States.
The head of the Venezuelan Diplomacy only informs President Varela that there are 22 individuals and 46 companies that will be suspended, not to mention what they are. It also emphasizes that Venezuela determines its destiny without interventions and pressures from foreign countries.
For his part, Jorge Arreaza repeatedly invites to talk and meet the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, whose courtesy is never answered clearly by Varela; On the contrary, each Venezuelan invitation is preceded by a claim by the chancellor on Varela's statements against democratic life and social injustice in Venezuela.
Varela claims to Arreaza the suspension of COPA Airlines flights for alleged corruption and money laundering, while the Venezuelan Foreign Minister asks him to issue a public position in favour of the Venezuelan people and recognize the institutions governed by Nicolás Maduro.
In the talks, dating from 2018, Varela argues that he will recognize Nicolás Maduro until January 2019, which triggered a series of strong positions by Arreaza, who recriminated him by messages only to obey the interests of the United States and Donald Trump
The conversation with Arreaza ends with a screen print of a tweet about Nicolás Maduro, who is in solidarity with President Varela after the pressures and intrigues of Mike Pompeo for relations with China, which were harshly criticized by the embassy with the United States for the alleged intervention in Latin American affairs.
New! Now you can see the conversations as in WhatsApp without downloading anything.
Note: It is recommended to see it on a computer.