Saquina Jaramillo said they will publish the names of all holders of chance books and tickets.
Panama.- The authorities of the National Lottery of Charity of Panama (LNB) are working to rebuild the transparency of the institution that has been under scrutiny since the implementation of the controversial electronic lottery, which is on the verge of disappearing.
In this regard, the recently appointed director of the LNB, Saquina Jaramillo, stated that the list of holders or owners of ticket books will be disclosed, after an audit that is being carried out is completed. Jaramillo advanced that nationally there are 13,000 ticket sellers and that they have already managed to review about 7,500 of the list.
«We are able, once ratified and sworn in, to present the list of holders of these books with the amounts of each one«, Jaramillo affirmed at the time she was questioned by the members of the Credentials Committee of the National Assembly and added: «We are going to systematize that list so that it is public through the transparency portal. So that everyone knows, who the holders of these books are».
According to the local media La Prensa, the response of the official came after the independent bench deputy, Alexandra Brenes, asked her about the audits that will be done in response to complaints that a single person had several books.
In past administrations, knowing the names of the owners of lottery ticket books was a secret and it was claimed that it was confidential information with restricted access.
On this point, Jaramillo responded that the National Authority of Transparency and Access to Information issued a resolution clarifying that this information was not restricted. Similarly, she advanced that any finding that suggests a possible crime will be reported to the Public Ministry.
This week, the Credentials Committee of the National Assembly approved, with nine votes in favor, to recommend the ratification of Jaramillo before the full legislature.
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Jaramillo also referred to the situation of the electronic lottery and agreed with President José Raúl Mulino that the product does not generate profits for the State.
«The electronic lottery has not brought us benefits, but debts. In December 2023, the director of Internal Audit warned that two months after it had started it was already causing losses to the Lottery. She requested that an analysis be made on this type of game. In January 2024 she asked for another evaluation due to the impacts», she specified.
It is worth remembering that last July, President Mulino ordered the new director of the LNB, to put an end to the electronic lottery of Panama, known as Lotto and Pega 3, with the aim of improving the efficiency and credibility of the LNB, since, according to the president, this modality «is not a business for the State«.
