corruption

Canal bans TPM

Autoridad del Canal de Panama (ACP) Administrator Alberto Alemán Zubieta has ordered that the company TPM Supplier S.A., as well as its directors, be prohibited from bidding on contracts issued by the agency.

The ban applies to Igor Tello Spadafora, who is one of the company's officials. Spadafora, the nephew of a Supreme Court justice, worked at the ACP and allegedly funneled inside information to TPM that helped it receive contracts worth more than $700,000.

The company received 261 bids from the ACP from 2005 until 2007. The business did not have any other contracts or apparent sources of revenue. Investigators claim that Spadafora created the company solely to bid on ACP contracts.

The company will be banned from bidding on ACP contracts for 60 months.

The activities of TPM and Spadafora are the subject of an investigation, which is seeking to determine if he broke any laws in his dealings with the company. Spadafora still works for the ACP, but has been transferred from his job in the procurement office.

On Feb. 12, Comptroller Carlos Vallarino ordered a special audit of contracts issued by the ACP to TPM.