The Panamanian prosecutor’s office announced that it appealed yesterday Friday against the acquittal announced a week earlier, which freed the 28 accused of money laundering in the much-vaunted “Panamá Papers” and “Lava Jato” cases.

“The second office of the prosecution against organized crime announces (…) the filing of an appeal against the acquittal in the cases known as Lava Jato and Panamá Papers,” the institution summarized via X.

On June 28, a Panamanian court “acquitted 28 individuals facing charges of violating the economic order through money laundering,” a case linked to the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca at the heart of the two scandals, including its founders, Ramon Fonseca (who passed away on May 9 at the age of 71) and Jürgen Mossack.

During the trial, the prosecutor who heads the organized crime unit, Isis Soto, asked for the heaviest sentence — 12 years in prison — for lawyers Mossack and Fonseca. Their company was allegedly used in the context of the Panamá Papers scandal by figures around the world, including heads of state and government, famous athletes and artists, for tax evasion and money laundering.

The high-profile case came to light in 2016, following the publication of an investigation conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). It was based on the thorough study of 11.5 million leaked Mossack Fonseca documents.

In her June 28 verdict, Judge Baloisa Marquines also acquitted all defendants in the related Lava Jato (“Express Car Wash”) case, which involved Mossack Fonseca, Brazilian companies, notably construction giant Odebrecht (renamed Novonor ), as well as politicians and public officials of various Latin American countries.

As the offenses charged against the defendants were the same in both cases, Mrs. Markines handled them simultaneously.

Jürgen Mossack, 76, said on Wednesday he felt he had woken up from a “nightmare” after his discharge.

The scandal led to the closure of his law firm, while Panama’s international image suffered a heavy blow and high-ranking officials were forced to resign: some were brought to trial and convicted.

Panama’s new president, Jose Raul Molino, ruled Monday that the Panamá Papers case was an international plot to attack his country’s financial system. The lawyers involved in the case have used the same phraseology, never presenting any evidence or details of the alleged international conspiracy against them.

ICIJ insists on the correctness of the information it brought to light.

“By exposing hidden truths, as we did in the Panama Papers case, we give the public the information they need to demand accountability and press for reforms,” ​​the consortium’s executive director, Gerard, said after the acquittal of the defendants. Ryle.