Overview
- President José Raúl Mulino called Panama Ports Company’s assertion that the state missed a March 13 ICC filing deadline “outrageous” and “a lie.”
- Mulino said the government is represented by international lawyers who will handle the arbitration.
- In a subsequent statement, the government accused PPC of refusing to cooperate, concealing information, and obstructing a coordinated transition, labeling recent remarks “fallacious and libelous.”
- CK Hutchison did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the government’s rebuttal.
- Panama previously voided PPC’s Balboa and Cristóbal concessions after a court ruling and installed 18‑month interim operators, with APM Terminals at Balboa and TIL Panama of MSC at Cristóbal, a move widely viewed as curbing Chinese influence near the canal.