san-100

Report fuels criticism

Ministro de Gobierno y Justicia Daniel Diamante rejected claims that the government withheld crucial information about the SAN-100.

LA PRENSA

diplomacy: A note delivered yesterday by Chilean ambassador to Panama Juan de Dios Gutiérrez reiterated Chile’s request for a joint commission to continue investigating the May 29 crash.1094289

“I deeply respect the family of the deceased and will not make any response to what the [Chilean] General Bernales’ son, Alejandro, has to say. He’s entitled to any comment that he wants to make, either in his country or in Panama[…],” expressed ministro de Gobierno y Justicia Daniel Delgado Diamante yesterday, following Bernales’ reaction to the recently surfaced report concerning the poor condition of the SAN helicopter fleet.

That report, prepared by Israel Aerospace Industries in January, recommended that the SAN-100 aircraft undergo a structural and technological overhaul, and suggested that it “was not in a condition to be used.”

Given that information, Bernales opined that the responsibility for the incident in which his father died in the May 29 crash, can’t rest solely with the helicopter’s pilot, as had been determined in preliminary investigations conducted by government agencies.

According to Diamante, the general’s son “has legal representation that may take action whenever they wish.”

Diamante also criticized the press reports insinuating that the Ejecutivo refuses to comment on the reports suggesting that the SAN-100 was unfit for flight. On the contrary, the minister stated that the desired information has been provided to those with those involved, including the Ministerio Público, the Chilean government and the victims’ families.

Diamante reiterated that the Israeli company’s suggestions constituted one of several “business proposals” solicited by SAN officials as part of their plan to modernize the fleet.

He added that the government cannot spend “all day responding to the requests of people who are interested in damaging the government, society, research and the country." The minister did not specify which “people” he was referring to.

Meanwhile, Chilean ambassador to Panama Juan de Dios Gutiérrez delivered a communiqué to the Panamanian government yesterday, pressing for a reply to Chile’s proposal to discuss the creation of a joint commission to continue investigating the crash of SAN-100 helicopter. Vladimir Franco received the diplomatic note on behalf of Panama.

“Today is September 24, meaning it’s been nearly a month and we’ve not received the formal response we asked for,” Gutiérrez told Chilean newspaper El Mercurio.

“Our fear is that all these delays in some way harm bilateral relations,” he added. “Our question to the Panamanian government is: Are there more reports than we should know about?”