Attorney General of Panama Luis Carlos Gómez said on Wednesday that a decades-long contract awarded to Panama Ports Company (PPC), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings, to operate two ports in the Panama Canal is "unconstitutional," local outlets reported. The post Panama AG: Hong Kong Company Granted ‘Unconstitutional’ Canal Contract appeared first on Breitbart.
Panama's Attorney General, Luis Carlos Gómez, has declared unconstitutional a 1997 contract granting Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings' subsidiary, Panama Ports Company (PPC), a 25-year concession to operate two ports along the Panama Canal. The contract was renewed in 2021 for another 25 years. Gómez argued the deal violates 15 constitutional articles, prioritizing private interests over public good, and granted PPC excessive rights. A lawsuit filed by Panamanian lawyers Julio Macías and Norman Castro prompted Gómez's report, which was released on February 19. The Panamanian Supreme Court has 10 days to review the case, while a government audit of PPC, initiated in January, is ongoing. The audit aims to assess the economic benefits Panama has received from the concession, with critics describing it as a "colonial enclave." The case has sparked broader concerns about China's influence in the Panama Canal, as PPC is seen as an example of Chinese economic presence in the region.