The report that reveals the hours before the escape from La Joyita

The massive escape of prisoners from the La Joyita Penitentiary Center continues under investigation. However, a report sent to the Public Ministry offers new details about what happened inside the prison before dozens of inmates escaped and the center was plunged into chaos.

The document, addressed to the senior prosecutor of Metropolitan Primary Care, Azael Samaniegodescribes a chain of events that began around 12:30 pm on June 1.

According to the report, Major Rivera showed up at the penitentiary center management to request logistical support with an official vehicle. The purpose was to transfer prisoners from the maximum security area to the Ranch area, where a meeting headed by Commissioner Luis García would supposedly take place.

The report indicates that there was a list of prisoners summoned to that meeting, although the official who prepared the report claimed to not know who was part of that group.

In addition to the maximum security inmates, leaders from the minimum security wards would also participate.

What was initially presented how a meeting began to generate concern among the prison population.

According to the document, Crowd control units arrived at the scene and several prisoners expressed doubts about the true purpose of the call.

According to the report, some inmates suspected that it was not a meeting, but rather a transfer to other prisons.

Information began to circulate quickly between the different pavilions.

In a matter of minutes, uncertainty spread throughout much of the prison complex.

The report maintains that prisoners began to gradually leave the pavilions as tension increased within the facilities.

Later, members of the National Police They handcuffed 49 prisoners and put them in official vehicles.

According to the document, it was not publicly reported where they would be transferred. From that point on, the situation deteriorated rapidly.

The report describes clashes between prisoners and police units, which triggered acts of vandalism inside the prison.

Among the damages reported are the destruction of security areas, damage to the center’s kitchen, the theft of supplies, damage to control scanners, equipment belonging to the Ministry of Education and tools used in training programs of the National Institute of Vocational Training and Training for Human Development (Inadeh).

The report also notes that approximately 46 surveillance cameras were destroyed during the riots.

The authorities are still investigating whether the events described in the document are directly related to the escape of those deprived of liberty or if they constitute part of a broader sequence of events that ended up facilitating the escape.

The version matches the statements offered by the Minister of Government, Dinoska Montalvo, who confirmed that the investigations seek to determine how a routine transfer operation ended up becoming one of the largest prison crises recorded in recent years.

“What happened is no small thing, it is serious,” said the minister, who assured that the investigations will reach the ultimate consequences.

The escape recorded in La Joyita involved 195 prisoners, according to official figures released by the authorities. During the events, the death of three inmates was also reported, cases that are part of the investigations being carried out by the Public Ministry and security agencies.

Montalvo has pointed out that June 1 marked a before and after for the Panamanian prison system and warned that the State will respond with stricter measures to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.

“Everything changes. Everything in the end is going to change. The prison system from what it had been until that day is completely transformed and they are going to feel the weight of a State that has been challenged,” said the minister in one of her public appearances.

After the escape, the National Police deployed search operations in different parts of the country. According to the latest official reports, the majority of the escapees have been recaptured or have voluntarily surrendered to the authorities, although operations continue to locate those who remain at large.

At the same time, the Public Ministry opened investigations for the crime of escape and for the damage caused inside the penitentiary center. The Attorney General’s Office reported that dozens of people linked to the escape were placed at the disposal of judicial authorities.

As part of these processes, prosecutors have held multiple guarantee control hearings to legalize arrests, formulate accusations and request precautionary measures. Several prisoners have received sentences through sentencing agreements for the crime of escape, sanctions that are added to the sentences they were already serving at the time of their escape.

Investigations remain open both in the Public Ministry and in the State security agencies, which are trying to establish administrative, disciplinary and criminal responsibilities for the events that occurred within La Joyita. Among the lines of investigation is determining who ordered the previous movements within the prison, how the security controls were broken and whether there were failures or irregular actions by officials in charge of the custody of the center.

The Attorney General’s Office reported that 145 people linked to the escape were arrested and that prosecutors held 13 hearings to control guarantees.

As a result of these processes, six people received sentences through sentencing agreements and dozens remain under provisional detention.

The sentences include sentences of three years, three years and six months, and three years and eight months in prison, which will be added to the sentences that the convicts were already serving before escaping.