A Panamanian court has definitively dismissed corruption charges against 185 individuals linked to a high-profile public transportation scandal. The Superior Court for the Settlement of Criminal Cases of the First Judicial District confirmed the acquittal ruling on Tuesday, January 27, ending a years-long legal saga known locally as the “ATTT case.”<\/p>\n
The decision finalizes a lower court’s verdict from August 2025, which found insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy to defraud the state. All defendants were cleared of charges related to alleged peculation<\/a> against the Land Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT).<\/p>\n The appellate tribunal, composed of magistrates Jos\u00e9 Hoo Justiniani, Eyda Amarilis Ju\u00e1rez, and Manuel Mata Avenda\u00f1o, unanimously upheld the earlier sentence. They concluded the initial court’s evaluation of evidence was legally sound and respected principles of due process. Their review centered on a massive case file containing 717 volumes.<\/p>\n “The assessment of the evidence was correct, in accordance with the law, and respectful of the principles of legality, due process, and the minimal intervention of criminal law,” the magistrates stated in their ruling. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This case stemmed from the “Administrative Rescue of the Collective Public Passenger Transportation System” program in Panama and San Miguelito districts. The public widely referred to the investigation as the “diablos rojos<\/a>” \/ Red Devils case, named after the country’s former iconic red buses.<\/p>\nCourt Affirms Lower Court’s Ruling on Lack of Evidence<\/h2>\n
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Prosecution Itself Sought Dismissal for Key Officials<\/h2>\n