There they are!

BY JEAN-GUY ALLARD-Special for Granma International-

A video from a security camera in Panama capital’s airport ends by exposing three of the individuals hired by the Miami mafia as part of its conspiracy to free international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. The video shows Carlos Barés, former Panamanian national police chief; Javier Tapia, former deputy director of immigration, and Arnulfo Escobar, head of the Police Investigation and Information Authority (DIIP), fraternizing with the four assassins and arranging every detail of their illegal exit from the country.

For months in Miami, with the blessing of the U.S. authorities, terrorist Santiago Alvarez ran a much-talked-about campaign to raise funds to secure the release of the four most dangerous terrorists on the continent imprisoned in Panama.

While Mireya Moscoso’s administration denied the existence of any such plans, on August 26, a few hours before stepping down as president, the head of state signed the pardons allowing the four assassins to resume their activities.

The video taken from the security cameras at Tocumen airport on August 26 recorded Barés, Tapia, Escobar and other officials conversing and eating with the four Cuban-American terrorists.

The recording was obtained from Panamanian Television thanks to the investigation carried out by Special Senior Prosecutor Arquimedes Sáez, who is attempting to establish criminal responsibility in relation to the illegal procedures surrounding the pardons granted by Moscoso. It was Sáez who secured a conviction for the four terrorists in the Panamanian courts, in spite of all the maneuvers by the Miami mafia and officials in the Moscoso administration.

The video, shown on national television in Panama shows Posada Carriles and his accomplices Gaspar Jiménez, Guillermo Novo and Pedro Remón being given a farewell, embrace by Barés and his accomplices, and the sharing of documents, pastries, and cups of coffee.

"You can see Posada Carriles in good physical condition, and even crouched over the phone talking for several minutes," indicated Notimex, adding: "Jiménez’ wife descended from one of the planes to effusively embrace Barés and plant a kiss on his cheek."

BARES PERSONALLY LET THEM OUT OF THEIR CELLS

According to information accompanying the video, the four terrorists were released from El Renacer prison in the early hours of August 26, in an operation in which Barés, former head of the national police, opened the criminals’ cells, apparently without notifying the prison warden, Ricardo Apú.

The same Barés misled personnel at the correctional facility and proceeded to transfer the four prisoners to Tocumen International Airport, in absolute violation of the regulations and procedures for the release of prisoners.

This is how Posada and his hired assassins were brought to the Tocumen airport, where they boarded private planes that took off at 6.50 a.m.

It was not until 10.00 a.m. that the El Renacer prison chief was officially notified that the four detainees, pardoned by the then head of state Mireya Moscoso, had gone. Ricardo Apú was notified by a Fax from the Immigration Authority.

Sworn affidavits from the prison guards confirm that Barés and Escobar released the four criminals from their cells. Testimony from Judge José Ho Justiniani, responsible for appealing the short sentences handed down to Posada and the other convicts, revealed that he was never consulted on their release.

The terrorists pardoned by Moscoso were sentenced to seven and eight years’ imprisonment for "actions threatening public security and the falsification of documents" by a Panamanian court that found them guilty of planning an assassination attempt on the Cuban President during the Ibero-American Summit in Panama in November, 2000. The attack was to be mounted at the University of Panama, with 30 pounds of C-4 explosive that would have caused the death of thousands of participants in the meeting.

The pardon was granted in spite of protests from many popular organizations calling for the punishment of perpetrators of acts of terrorism.

Arquimedes Sáez has announced that their names do not appear in the airport terminal’s records of departing passengers and neither have copies of their boarding passes come to light.

MINISTER ESCALONA ACCUSED

Likewise heavily involved in the case, Arnulfo Escalona, former minister of government and justice, also made a statement in relation to Saéz’ investigation. Escalona and Barés have been charged with the crime of exceeding and abusing their authority.

On leaving the court, Escalona announced that he, Barés and Tapia had availed themselves of Articles 22 and 25 of the National Constitution. Article 25 establishes that "nobody is obliged to make a statement in a criminal, correctional or police matter against themselves¼ "

Escalona and Barés were accompanied by lawyers Rogelio Cruz, Rosa Mancilla and Maruja Bravo, known for their links with the Miami mafia, Colombian drug trafficking cartels and Mireya Moscoso’s corrupt administration.

Rogelio Cruz and Rosa Mancilla also defended Luis Posada Carriles and his accomplices pardoned by Mireya Moscoso. Moscoso herself, currently accused of corruption in the courts, has also selected a Mafioso lawyer to defend her.

By sheer coincidence, an old buddy of Cruz, Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, head of the Cali cocaine cartel, was extradited to the United States by the Columbian judicial authorities in early December. Rodriguez Orejuela must appear before the U.S. court for trafficking more than 50 tons of cocaine to that country.