The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a Red Notice for Panamanian citizen Saúl Méndez Rodríguez, who is wanted by Panamanian authorities in connection with alleged criminal offenses, according to information released by Panama’s National Police.
As stated by the authorities, Méndez faces an active investigation regarding suspected offenses involving aggravated fraud, document forgery, and criminal association. Handled via the nation’s Interpol Central Office, the petition was formally processed by Panama’s Second Specialized Prosecutor’s Office Against Organized Crime as a component of an ongoing inquiry.
Officials indicated that the probe centers on a purported financial scam that allegedly impacted multiple persons and organizations. Moreover, the matter ties into accusations concerning past employees, and the Panama’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has earlier associated Méndez with inquiries touching on suspected money laundering, document falsification, criminal conspiracy, and aggravated fraud.
The Red Notice alerts Interpol’s member countries that Méndez is wanted by Panama. According to Interpol, however, a Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant. It is a request to law-enforcement authorities worldwide to locate and provisionally detain a person pending extradition, surrender or similar judicial proceedings, subject to each country’s domestic laws.
The measure came after Méndez left Bolivia, where he had been under asylum protection. Bolivian authorities indicated that he voluntarily left the country, meaning that the protections associated with his asylum status ceased once he departed.
Méndez, who has served as secretary general of the National Single Union of Construction and Similar Workers (Suntracs), had sought protection in Bolivia while facing legal proceedings in Panama. He had maintained that he was the target of political persecution, an allegation rejected by the Panamanian government.
The Panamanian authorities had previously issued an arrest and detention order against Méndez in connection with the investigation. Following confirmation of his departure from Bolivia, the authorities moved forward with the request for the international alert.
The investigation remains open, and the accusations directed at Méndez have not yet crystallized into definitive verdicts. The Red Notice aims to foster global cooperation in tracking him down and, where appropriate, launching the judicial processes necessary for his potential extradition to Panama.
Source: Eco TV Panamá — Eco TV Panamá article
