The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today stressed "progress" in "improving financial framework" of Panama, while said "additional efforts needed" to meet "international standards well established on money laundering and transparency fiscal".
EFE
These issues were discussed at the IMF headquarters in Washington, where the president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, and the "number two" of the organism, David Lipton met, spokesman of the Fund, Raphael Anspach, in a statement to Efe.
"It was an opportunity to discuss the progress of the authorities of Panama to improve the integrity of the financial framework of the country and additional efforts needed to meet the well-established international standards, including those related to money laundering and combating the financing terrorism and fiscal transparency ", stressed the note.
In the meeting also the "robust" economic prospects of Panama were analyzed for the expected growth of 6.1% this year and 6.4% next year, according to the latest IMF forecasts.
Varela's visit falls, according to a statement from the Panamanian Presidency on "diplomatic offensive deployed by the country following the international debate on transparency in financial and tax systems."
Yesterday, in a speech in the State Department, Varela said that "we will prevent Panama's financial platform used for illegal purposes."
The Panamanian president was commenting called papers Panama, massive disclosure of documents law firm Mossack Fonseca has brought to thousands of opaque companies set up in tax havens to avoid paying taxes light and has generated a global controversy, the international government officials being involved.
During his visit to Washington, Varela also had the opportunity to meet with the president of the Bank of Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), Luis Alberto Moreno, who announced that the timetable for tendering and execution Expansion of Sanitation Bay project is ready and Panama City to the west sector.
The Panamanian president also spoke with Moreno on the financing of energy projects as well as the interest of Panama to contribute to the Alliance for Prosperity of the North Triangle of Central America through the exchange of successful experiences in prevention crime and greater state presence in areas of social risk.