New Panama City taxi rates

In our previous posting Panama city taxi rates will be raised we informed about the new Panama City taxi rates. With their publication this August 14 in the Official Gazette, the rates are effective.
If you are good at finding your way in a map and have a good sense of direction, you can print these maps and download the gazette to fully understand the rates.

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New Regulations for Immigration Law are enacted

Minimum amounts for investment visas are increased

As announced in a previous posting, regulations for Immigration Law were being drafted. Executive Decree 320 of 2008 was published this week and gives the fine print for the Immigration Law enacted in early 2008.

Effective August 26, the main changes from current practice would be:

- Tourists may remain in the country only for 90 days, with only those with an original period under 90 days being able to ask for an extension to complete the 90 days when justified (Art. 21),
- Foreign workers within the 10% maximum must have a salary of US$850 monthly to apply for residency and work permit (Art. 79), up from US$500,
- Foreign executives representing foreign multinationals under the WTO Marrakech-round visas must have a salary of US$1000 monthly to apply for residency and work permit (Art. 92), up from US$500,
- Investor permanent visas may only be granted after having asked for three 2-year temporary visas for a total of 6 years (Art. 95),
- Agricultural visa minimum investment is raised to US$60,000 (Art. 96), up from no minimum,
- Forestry temporary visa minimum investment is raised to US$60,000, up from US$40,000, with an additional requirement of 10 hectares purchased (Art. 100),
- Forestry permanent visa minimum investment is doubled to US$80,000, with an additional requirement of 20 hectares purchased (Art. 180),
- Small-business investor visa is eliminated,
- Macro-business investor visa minimum investment is raised to US$160,000, up from US$100,000, with an additional requirement of 5 Panamanian full-time workers (Art. 185, 188),
- Self-solvency investor visa minimum investment is increased to US$300,000, up from US$100,000, left in Panama bank account for 3 years (Art. 192).
- Self-solvency investor visa minimum investment alternatives include also real estate for which at least US$300,000 is paid for, free of mortgage (Art. 193) or a mixture of a 3-year deposit and mortgage-free real estate up to a combined minimum of US$300,000 (Art. 194),
- Self-solvency investor visa real estate may be held under a Private Foundation which founder or beneficiary is the applicant,
- The minimum return on a Panama National Bank CD for the Rentista visa is increased to US$2,000 monthly, up from US$750 (Art. 196),
- Pensionado minimum income is raised to US$1,000, up from US$500, or a mixture of US$100,000 in directly-held Panama real estate (Art. 200 - it does not specify if the property is free of mortgage),
- Pictures must show the face of the applicant (no full burkha pictures) (Art. 245),
- Tourists must enter with passport having no less than 3 months of duration (Art. 255),
- Multiple-entry permits may be issued for up to 5 years, up form 2 years (Art. 262).

The final text of the 2008 Immigration Regulations and Law can be downloaded in PDF files (Yahoo registration required):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Live_in_Panama/files/ED320_08Migracion.pdf
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Live_in_Panama/files/DLey3_08Migracion.pdf

More about the new Panama Immigration Law in:
"Collapse" at Immigration offices
30-day countdown to new Immigration law requirements
Immigration and Visas
Regulations for Immigration Law are being drafted
2008 Immigration Law finally published

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"Collapse" at Immigration offices

Long lines are filmed by the TVN News crew at Immigration, with 20 days to go until the entry in force of the new Immigration law. Applicants waited from 5AM until 1PM under 90 degree temperatures to file their paperwork.

This lady complained that "peddling of influences" occurs in the granting of numbers for applicants to be served at Immigration. Only 40 applicants are served for some of the procedures.

Video in http://mypanamalawyer.blogspot.com/2001/01/collapse-at-immigration-offices-videos.html

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Revulú en Migración 08/06/2008

Castalia Pascual

A mediados de este mes de agosto entrará en vigencia la nueva ley de migracion. . esto ha ocasionado que el numero de tramites se triplique provocando largas filas en la Direccion de Migracion que con el tiempo se han quedado chicas. Ver Video

Bar Association announces malpractice cases

The Honor Tribunal of the Panama Bar Association published an ad serving several lawyers about the malpractice cases against them. Service had to be made through a newspaper because the lawyers could not be located or refused to be served in person.

The Bar Association website a list of attorneys found by the Honor Tribunal as guilty of ethics violations and recommended for their disbarment or suspension by the Supreme Court, as well as a list of attorneys in good standing with bar dues.

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Edictos de la Gaceta Oficial No. 25962
Gaceta No. 25962 lunes, 21 de enero de 2008

TRIBUNAL DE HONOR
COLEGIO NACIONAL DE ABOGADOS
Edicto Emplazatorio No.02- 24-10-2007

El Tribunal de Honor del Colegio Nacional de Abogados, ordena la notificación por edicto de los siguientes abogados denunciados por supuestas faltas a la ética, los cuales no le ha podido surtir la notificación personalmente:

MANUEL E. CAJAR, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JOSE ANTONIO ALVAREZ

GASTON GARRIDO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: CARLOS MARIO ZAPATA AREIZA

CARLOS ARTURO DE LA ROSA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ALVARO GOMEZ GOMEZ

CESAR GUARDIA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MIRANY DE RAMIREZ

LEONEL URRIOLA CASTILLO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: HERMELINDA VALDES.

LUIS DE LEON ARIAS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: CELMA MONCADA DE GUERRA

JOSE ANTONIO MONCADA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADO POR: SILVYA TAM DE LOWE

LOURDES RÍOS DE VALLARINO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: LOURDES CASTILLO R.

MANUEL E. CAJAR, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EDITH MARIELA JIMENEZ

LUIS STAMP K, DENUNCIA PRESENTADO POR: ELISEO ALVAREZ

GILBERTO TORREROS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: FELIPE FERNANDEZ

ALEJANDRO WATSON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: TOMAS RAFAEL DURFEE

PEDRO MORENO GONZALEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: VIOLETA SOTO

DARIO MONTERO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ALEJANDRO CALVO

AMEGLIO MONCADA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: RODRIGO VELARDE

HUMBERTO MOSQUERA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: VIRGILIO QUIÑONES Y OTRO

NITIDO SOSA LÓPEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ROGELIO VERGARA

PEDRO MORENO GONZALEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JUAN LOBON

BENJAMIN ARIAS GORDON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ELBA C. SANCHEZ

MIGUEL WATTS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: OMAR ENRIQUE WEVER

GUILLERMO SERRANO F., DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MANUEL RÍOS G. Y OTRO

RAFAEL SANTAMARÍA DENUNCIA PPRESENTADA POR LEONIDAS DE GONZALEZ

MIGUEL WATTS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: OMAR ENRIQUE WEVER

MANUEL DE J. BECERRA Q., DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ARISTIDES HASSAN POLO

VELVIT SALMON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MARTA E. MORENO DE PINEDA

JUAN ANTONIO MORALES, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: REYES SALDAÑA CASTILLO

HECTOR LOPEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: FELIX HUMBERTO ANTINORI

RAUL OSSA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EDILBERTO KOOCSSY

JORGE ALBERTO CASTILLO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EDUARDO ENRIQUE MARTINEZ

EVA LORENTZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: LAUREANO ORREGO

CRISTOBAL DELGADO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: AUGUSTO ROGELIO DELGADO

HUMBERTO MOSQUERA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: INOCENCIO ORTIZ

ARMANDO RAMOS RODRIGUEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EFREN BARRIOS

AGUSTIN BURKE, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: GILBERTO ALEJANDRO ROBINSON

JORGE ALBERTO CASTILLO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JOSE MAURICIO ACEVEDO MARIN

VICTOR SAMANIEGO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ANTONINA BALLESTEROS

JUAN ALVEO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JUAN ELIAS GONZALEZ PEREZ

HELBERT PEREA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JUANA SANCHEZ DE SINGH

OSCAR AMADO HERNANDEZ CASTILLO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: RUBEN DARIO JIMENEZ

FELIPE GONZALEZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: CARLOS BONILLA LARA

ROBERTO JOHNSON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: RAFAELA ALMONTE

MARCIAL CUADRA FEDEE, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EDUARDO ENRIQUES NAVARRO

ABDULKHABEER MUHAMMED, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: VERNA BECKFORD

HUMBERTO MOSQUERA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: HECTOR BETHANCOURT

ABNER ALVAREZ, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JUSTO PASTOR BUSTAMANTE

SAMUEL MARIN, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ISAAC JHACOB DE GRACIA AYALA

EVA ARGENTINA LORENTZ FRANCO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: OCTAVIO CAMILO BARUCO

NODIER SANTIAGO QUINTERO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: JULISSA SATILLO ADAMES

JORGE SERRACIN, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MARLEN MENDOZA DETHORNE

PABLO DIAZ y JORGE MASTROLINARDO, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: NELSON ESQUIVEL PERALTA

DANIEL HENDERSON MORA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: MANUEL REBERTE

UBALDO IVAN SAMANIEGO DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: RICARDO LEMUS CALDERON

XIOMARA VALLARINO y ABDIEL ARTEAGA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: ANDREW WATSON MC CARTHY

LUIS DE LEON ARIAS, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: CELMA MONCADA

JOSE LUIS GARCÍA, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: EMMA GONZALEZ

ROBERTO JOHONSON, DENUNCIA PRESENTADA POR: DENNIS E. BRAY

DILIA ESTELA CORNEJO MENESES PRESENTADA POR: EDWIN APARICIO

LUIS ALFONSO PALACIOS PRESENTADA POR: DORIS SORIANO DE PINILLA

Copia de este edicto será fijado de manera visible en el Colegio Nacional de Abogados y publicado por una sola vez en la gaceta oficial.

Se advierte a los abogados denunciados, que de conformidad con el artículo 16F del Reglamento Interno del Tribunal de Honor, la notificación se entenderá hecha transcurridos 30 días de la publicación en gaceta oficial del presente edicto.

TRIBUNAL DE HONOR

Lic. Miguel Antonio Bernal
Presidente

Lic. Antonio Loaiza Batista
Secretario

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More information in
Bar Association continues prosecution of malpractice cases