government

Property seizures causing problems

LA PRENSA

La Porcelana1085675

La Porcelana has fallen on hard times.

The estate, located in the community of Higueronal, east of Panama City, was once a place to be envied, with stables for horses, a swimming pool and three houses. Today, the pool is dry and weeds have taken over the once-manicured lawn.

The estate was owned by Arcángel de Jesús Henao Montoya, alias El Mocho, who was nabbed on drug trafficking charges in 2005 and extradited to the United States. By law, his property was turned over to the government. Since then, it has fallen into a state of disrepair.

Caretaker Javier Cedeño said that he is owed back wages by the farm's former owners, but he doesn't expect to ever be paid. He was appointed custodian of the property by the government, but he doesn't have any access to funds to keep up the property. Therefore, the roof over the stable is near collapse, and the houses all need substantial work.

The state of La Porcelana highlights a problem being faced by the government. As crime has increased, so have the number of property seizures. Yet, the government is running short of resources to take care of these seized goods. In fact, according to a report from the Attorney General's Office, the seizure of goods is considered an “economic burden” for the government.

In 2007, the Centro de Custodia y Bienes y Fondos Cautelados, which handles seized property, received 6,000 items to process and safeguard. In the first five months of 2008, there were just under 2,300 items turned over to the agency.

Although officials from the department declined to provide exact details about the seized goods because of security concerns, they include some 1,500 vehicles and 85 properties.

A law was passed in 2007 to allow the government to sell seized property after an independent appraisal is made of its worth. If a defendant is cleared of charges, he or she would then be compensated.

That law also empowered the government to appoint a temporary administrator of properties that require a large amount of maintenance, such as La Porcelana. The idea being that the administrator would keep the property from falling into a state of disrepair. Something that has not been avoided in the case of that particular property.