The massive escape of prisoners from the La Joyita Penitentiary Center remains 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 Samaniego, describes 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 as 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.
Subsequently, members of the National Police handcuffed 49 prisoners and put them into 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 coincides with 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 maintains open investigations into the mass escape and the damage caused inside the La Joyita Penitentiary Center. Until the closing of this edition, the authorities reported the recapture of 166 of the prisoners who escaped from La Joyita.
As a result of the proceedings carried out by prosecutors, 18 guarantee control hearings were held and 134 people were brought before guarantee judges to face judicial proceedings related to the escape.
The actions of the Public Ministry made it possible to obtain 125 provisional arrests and nine convictions through sentencing agreements. These include three sentences of three years in prison; four sentences of three years and six months; a sentence of three years and eight months; and a sentence of three years and eleven months in prison.
These sanctions are added to the effective sentences that the convicted persons were serving at the time of escaping from prison, so their stay in prison will be extended as a result of the new crime.
In addition, the Attorney General’s Office reported that four cases are still in the hearing phase, while investigations continue to determine the criminal responsibilities derived from the escape and the acts of vandalism recorded within the prison complex.
The investigations also seek to establish possible administrative and disciplinary responsibilities for the events that occurred on June 1. Among the lines of investigation is determining who ordered the previous movements within the prison, how the collapse of security controls occurred and whether there were failures or irregular actions on the part of officials in charge of the custody of those deprived of liberty.
While the judicial processes progress, the security forces continue their search operations.
