The Presidency of the Republic has clarified that the individual appointed by the Executive Branch as consul in Panama is not Jochy Gómez, but rather his brother, Guillermo José Ángel Gómez Canaán.
This clarification follows reports from some media outlets that mistakenly published a photo of Jose Angel Gomez Canaan, alias Jochy Gómez, instead of Guillermo José.
Guillermo José Ángel Gómez Canaán, a law graduate from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), is officially designated in Decree No. 471-24. In his professional career, he has served as an associate lawyer at the firm Pereyra & Asociados, among other roles.
Jochy Gomez, on the other hand, is José Ángel Gómez Canaán. Acento mentions the judicial investigation in connection with the controversial contract awarded to Transcore Latam by the National Institute of Transit and Land Transport (Intrant). The Transcore Latam contract became a national scandal, making headlines for several weeks, leading to the cancelation of the director of Intrant (Hugo Beras), but then the case petered out of the media as the allegedly fraudulent transacting was supposedly investigated by the authorities, but no details were shared with the general public.
Carlos Pimentel, director of the Public Procurement and Contracting Agency (DGCP), had identified a notable link between Transcore Latam and DeKolor, a company that also received a contentious contract for issuing driver’s licenses under the previous administration. Jochy Gómez is associated with DeKolor.
Indeed, nothing more was heard in the press about the Transcore Latam scandal until the news story that a Gomez Canaan was named consul general in Panama was known.
Acento reports the Intrant scandal was not the first time Jose Angel Gómez Canaan had faced public scrutiny. In 2012, he was accused of blackmail and extortion, as well as allegedly engaging in “hacking” activities targeting the email accounts of political figures, business leaders, and government officials. At that time, the Public Prosecutor’s Office charged Gómez with collaborating with international hackers, particularly from India and Vietnam, to gain access to email credentials.
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Presidency
Acento
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26 August 2024