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### Viewing cable 08PANAMA818, PANAMA: DDD TAKES LEAVE OF ABSENCE AFTER MURDER

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08PANAMA818 | 2008-10-24 23:11 | 2011-05-31 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Panama

`

    VZCZCXYZ0001
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHZP #0818/01 2982311
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 242311Z OCT 08
    FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2599
    INFO RHMFISS/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
    RHMFISS/DIRJIATF SOUTH
    RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
    RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
    RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000818

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2018
    TAGS: PGOV PREL PM
    SUBJECT: PANAMA: DDD TAKES LEAVE OF ABSENCE AFTER MURDER
    ACCUSATION FROM 38 YEARS AGO

    REF: PANAMA 00725

    Classified By: Ambassador Barbara J. Stephenson for reasons 1.4 (b) and
     (d)

    -------
    Summary
    -------

    ¶1.  (C)  President Martin Torrijos accepted Minister of
    Government and Justice Daniel Delgado Diamante's (DDD)
    request for 30 days unpaid leave, at DDD's request, following
    newspaper revelations about a killing the Minister committed
    38 years ago. DDD admitted he was responsible for the
    killing, but claimed it was a "police action" for which he
    had already been investigated, and punished. This version has
    been challenged by the victims family in an investigative
    report in the daily La Prensa, which accuses DDD of murder.
    DDD said he asked to be removed so he could concentrate on
    defending his "honor." Presidential candidates Ricardo
    Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela called on President
    Torrijos to remove DD permanently.  DDD will be replaced
    temporarily by Vice Minister for Public Security Rodrigo
    Cigarruista. Cigarruista is not a powerful political figure,
    and is probably being used in this position due to his low
    profile, and lack of any Noriega-era connections. DDD had
    become a lightning rod for those groups opposed to the
    security laws, and Post will break off contact with him while
    he is out of office to avoid involving the USG in an internal
    Panamanian politico-judicial conflict. Post encourages all
    USG agencies to avoid contact with DDD at this time. End
    Summary.

    -----------------------------
    Ghosts Come Back to Haunt DDD
    -----------------------------

    ¶2.  (U)  President Martin Torrijos temporarily removed
    Minister of Government and Justice Daniel Delgado Diamante
    (DDD) on October 22 by granting him leave without pay for 30
    days. DDD had requested the time to dedicate himself to
    "defending his honor" after the Panama City daily La Prensa
    published a story on October 20 claiming that DDD had killed
    Corporal Andres Garcia in 1970, while DDD was a Second
    Lieutenant in Garcia's unit. The story contained extensive
    testimony from Garcia's widow, sister and several soldiers
    who witnessed parts of the alleged incident 38 years ago.
    According to La Prensa's version of events, DDD shot Garcia,
    who was allegedly unarmed, to death inside Garcia's home
    after kicking in the door. The witnesses quoted in the story
    claim that DDD was furious because a hungover Garcia had
    refused his orders not to leave the base and go home. La
    Prensa claimed that DDD was never investigated or punished
    for the crime, but rather that Omar Torrijos ordered a
    cover-up of the incident, out of respect for an old
    friendship with DDD's father. Garcia's widow and the other
    witnesses in the story all claim they were never called to
    testify as part of any investigation, and that DDD was simply
    transferred to an office job for a month after the incident,
    before being named one of Omar Torrijos' body guards.
    Garcia's widow was reportedly given a government job after
    the incident.

    --------------------
    DDD Pleads - Guilty?
    --------------------

    ¶3.  (C)  DDD has had several different reactions in the last
    few days. He first admitted that he had killed Garcia,
    calling it a "police action," thus implying that he had used
    justifiable force. He has since claimed that he was already
    investigated, and the case was closed. Attorney General Ana
    Matilde Gomez has opened a formal investigation into the
    case, but must first determine whether there was ever a
    formal investigation, to avoid placing DDD in double
    jeopardy. (Comment: This may be as far as the investigation
    goes, since it may be impossible to determine with sufficient
    certainty that he was not investigated. Gomez has already
    noted that there is no requirement to keep records from that
    long ago. End Comment) According to La Prensa, the documents
    DDD presented to the Attorney General only indicate an
    internal National Guard investigation, and claim that Garcia
    was armed with a bayonet, and that he lunged at DDD. DDD has
    also argued that he was already punished for his actions, and

    there is a record of it in his service file. La Prensa has
    published what it claims to be copies of his service file,
    where nothing about the incident appears.

    -----------------
    Opposition Reacts
    -----------------

    ¶4.  (U)  Presidential candidates Ricardo Martinelli and Juan
    Carlos Varela called on President Torrijos to fire DDD
    immediately. Martinelli accused Torrijos of being "afraid"
    and said the former military officers in the government had
    him "kidnapped", according to reports in La Prensa October
    ¶23. Varela, who called on DDD to be removed or to resign in a
    La Prensa report on October 21, was saying that the security
    of the state was at stake in comments reported in La Prensa
    on October 23. Balbina Herrera praised DDD's decision to take
    leave without pay according to the same paper, and said she
    hoped everything would be "cleared up" and "turn out all
    right." La Prensa also reported that leaders of the
    Democratic Citizen's Network (RCD), which has led the
    opposition to the security reforms (see reftel) called on
    Torrijos to fire DDD immediately. Mauro Zuniga called having
    someone who had admitted to killing a Panamanian as Minister
    of Government and Justice "immoral," while Roberto (Bobby)
    Eisenmann said President Torrijos was "committing political
    suicide" by keeping DDD as Minister.

    -----------------------
    Who's Watching the Pot?
    -----------------------

    ¶5.  (U)  The President named Vice Minister for Public
    Security Rodrigo Cigarruista as Acting Minister of Government
    and Justice until November 23. Cigarruista has no military
    past, and is generally seen as a technocrat. He is also not
    known to have any political powerbase within the ruling
    Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD).

    -------
    Comment
    -------

    ¶5.  (C)  DDD has become a self-inflicted casualty of the
    security reform laws he has played such a key role in
    promoting. It seems clear La Prensa began its investigation
    around the time the security reforms were first mooted. The
    accusation is well known, and DDD has even talked to EmbOffs
    about it in the past. It had not been persued before now
    because DDD was seen as a changed man, who had gained the
    forbearance, and in some cases the respect, of the non-PRD
    political elite. The security laws have had a profound impact
    on how that elite looks at the Panamanian Defense Forces
    (PDF) veterans (like DDD) who are in the GOP, and many things
    are now being reinterpreted to fit the newly perceived
    intention of this group to re-militarize Panama. DDD is seen
    as the spearhead of this movement, and happens to be one of
    the easiest people to attack. With several "skeletons" in his
    closet (he was accused by the Truth Commission of being
    involved in the death of Felix Serrano in 1983) and a very
    bad temper, he is a perfect foil for the new "civilista"
    movement. Unlike RDC's usual tactic of making accusations
    unsupported by any evidence, La Prensa has done the kind of
    quiet investigative work which, if continued, could bring out
    many more ugly secrets from the time of the dictatorship
    (there are already indications in the political gossip
    columns of more cases on the way). This would be yet another
    unwelcome outcome of the botched introduction of the security
    laws for the Torrijos Administration.

    ¶6.  (C)  It is not clear what direction this will now go.
    Gomez could very easily decide the case can not be
    investigated for whatever technical reason, and DDD could
    return. It is important to note that the accusation
    implicates Martin Torrijos' father Omar Torrijos directly, as
    being responsible for a conspiracy. So we may well have DDD
    back soon. If so, it will become a huge political issue, with
    the opposition and civilista leaders demanding Balbina
    Herrera take a position on DDD - and by association on the
    crimes committed throughout the dictatorship. If, as likely,
    she backs DDD, it could hurt her significantly among
    independents, and end up costing her the election. So it is
    likely a brutal battle will be fought within the

    Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) over what to do now.
    Defend the legacy of Omar Torrijos to the bitter end, even at
    the cost of Balbina Herrera's candidacy, or quietly cut DDD
    loose?

    ¶7.  (C)  Cigarruista is a place holder for DDD. He has no
    political weight to challenge other heavy hitters in the
    government, and no past to attract the ire of the opposition.
    If Cigarruista's appointment becomes permanent this may cause
    a shift with the power structure of the GOP (this will be
    examined septel). Post is most concerned about how the
    civilista opposition to the security laws reacts to DDD's
    removal from the stage.  Determined to keep the security laws
    as a front burner issue as the elections approach, they will
    have to start looking for a new angle. In recent weeks the
    USG has managed to stay entirely out of the op-ed pages. We
    may be dragged back into the security reform debate by a
    movement in need of a new target. In an effort to avoid this,
    post will avoid contact with DDD and seek press on a range of
    other issues - support for community policing, education,
    exchanges (a surprisingly hot issue in Panama), protection of
    the environment - with an eye to drowning for good the
    "Militarization:  Made in the USA" story line.
    STEPHENSON

`