As a result of the corruption case in Costa Rica involving a shareholder of Constructora MECO, Fitch Ratings downgraded the company's long-term national rating to "A-(pan)" from "AA-(pan)", and at the same time placed it on Negative Watch.
On the morning of June 14, 2021, some 700 agents of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the Public Prosecutor's Office (prosecutors) raided 21 homes, Casa Presidencial, Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), National Viability Council (Conavi) and Public Transportation Council (CTP).
In order to dismantle a network of apparent corruption that is accused of illegally obtaining contracts for road maintenance, authorities in Costa Rica conducted 57 raids that included homes, the Presidential House, the MOPT, the Conavi and the CTP.
On the morning of June 14, 2021, about 700 agents of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the Public Prosecutor's Office (Fiscalía) raided 21 dwelling houses, Presidential House, Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), National Viability Council (Conavi) and Public Transport Council (CTP).
The restriction on hiring individuals who have been convicted in the five years preceding the public act of committing crimes is part of what is contemplated in the bill that is about to be approved in the first debate in Panama.
The new Public Hiring Law is in its final phase to be approved, in first debate, in the Commerce Commission, informed the National Assembly last February 12.
In 2019, the perception of corruption in public institutions increased in all countries of the region except Costa Rica, where it remained the same as in 2018.
As has been the case in recent years, Nicaragua's public sector continues to be perceived as the most corrupt in the region (transparency level 22 on a scale of 0 to 100), followed by Guatemala (26), Honduras (26), Dominican Republic (28), El Salvador (34), Panama (36), and Costa Rica (56).
The Dominican Republic, Panama and Honduras are the nations in the region where the majority of the population believes that corruption in government institutions has increased in the last twelve months.
The report "Barómetro Global de la Corrupción: América Latina y El Caribe 2019 - Opiniones y Experiencias de los ciudadanos en materia de corrupción" (Global Corruption Barometer: Latin America and the Caribbean 2019 - Opinions and Experiences of Citizens on Corruption), compiled by Transparency International and published on September 23, 2019, evaluated the perception of corruption in the countries of the region and some aspects of insecurity.
Twelve years after having settled in Guatemala and after multiple struggles for the non-renewal of its mandate, from today the International Commission against Impunity is no longer operating.
In August 2007, the Congress of the Republic approved the creation of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which arrived in the country with the mission of investigating criminal structures operating within government institutions, work done in association with the Public Prosecutor's Office.
After the Salvadoran president announced the possible installation of an International Commission against Corruption and Impunity, the business sector asked to "evaluate the experiences of Guatemala and Honduras.”
After Bukele reported that before his 100 days in office he would present a proposal to install an international commission in the country, the National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP) said it is essential to comply with the law and that there must be real political will to fight corruption.
For the business sector in Costa Rica, the large number of direct contracts between state institutions implies a number of defects and abuses in the use of public funds.
The employers' guild is of the opinion that in direct contracting there is no guarantee that the best use is actually being made of public funds, and there are indications of a lack of transparency in contracts. Some of them have even been declared confidential.
In 2018, the perception of corruption in public institutions increased in all countries in the region, except Panama, where it remained the same as in 2017, and El Salvador, where it slightly decreased.
As in previous years, Nicaragua's public sector continues to be considered the most corrupt in the region (level of transparency 25 on a scale of 0 to 100), followed by Guatemala (27), Honduras (29), El Salvador (35), Panama (37), and Costa Rica (56).
For Moody's, the withdrawal of the International Commission against Impunity weakens efforts to improve the rule of law in a country with high levels of corruption.
For Moody's, President Morales' decision to end the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) is a setback for the country because corruption is still widespread and institutions are still fragile.
After President Morales decided to end the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity, the Constitutional Court suspended the Guatemalan government's decision.
On January 7th, the Guatemalan government finalized the agreement between the Central American country and the United Nations, and set a 24-hour deadline for the Commission to cease functioning.
Arguing that "it has violated human rights in Guatemala through selective and partial justice", President Morales decided to end the mandate of the United Nations International Commission against Impunity.
After more than ten years of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), the Morales administration announced in 2018 that it would not renew the agreement with the United Nations that establishes the foreign institution dedicated to criminal investigation.
Arguing that it is time to "strengthen State institutions," President Morales has announced that he will not renew the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity, whose term expires in a year.
The controversial decision by the Guatemalan government, which was announced over the weekend, is based, according to Morales, on the idea that after ten years of work by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), the time has come to transfer its capabilities over to the State.
Following a controversy caused by statements made by the Attorney General of the Nation, the Panamanian business sector is demanding that a thorough investigation be carried out, asserting that things are moving "dangerously towards the exhaustion of any principle of legality".
From a statement issued by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP):
Entrepreneurs feel that corruption in the public administration is the State's main problem, and they affirm that a high percentage of companies have been exposed to bribes.
The Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations of Guatemala carried out the "I Survey of Business Perception 2018", and among the main results that were obtained, were that "...38% of entrepreneurs said that corruption in public administration is the state's main problem which prevents development, while 43% say that their companies have been exposed to bribes."
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