law

Panama seeks extradition

Prosecutors want to bring a Spaniard here to face charges in connection with poisoned medicine.

LA PRENSA

DIMAS GUEVARA956427

Panamanian officials have sent a request to the Spanish government for the extradition of Asunción Criado, the manager of the drug company whose allegedly tainted cough syrup caused the deaths of 109 people.

Senior Prosecutor Dimas Guevara said that the extradition request contained a large volume of information about the case, and that he is awaiting a response from the Consejo de Ministros de España.

While Panamanian authorities are not optimistic that the request will be approved – Spain does not have an extradition agreement with Panama – they are hoping that it will lead to criminal proceedings against Criado in that country.

Guevara said 109 people died from using medicine contaminated with dietilene glycol that arrived from Spain in 2004. The substance, commonly used in brake fluid, was used as a cheap substitute for glycerine.

Panamanian officials seek to bring criminal charges against the manufacturers in both Spain and China who produced the tainted medicine, as well as toothpaste that also contained dietilene glycol.

Some of the medicine was manufactured in Panama by a company called Medicom, whose manager, Ángel de La Cruz, has been charged. A trial is still pending in that case.

Authorities confiscated 6,000 bottles of suspect medicine when the scandal erupted last year. They are still waiting for the results of tests on the medicine collected from the country's public health facilities. Additional charges could be filed depending on the outcome of those tests.

The tainted medicine and subsequent scandal prompted Panamanian officials to ban imports of toothpaste from China. The deaths here received worldwide attention, and prompted action against Chinese imports worldwide.