Provisional Dismissal No. 117: Prosecutor dismissed Villamorey’s extortion complaint

On April 27, 2023, the Public Ministry of Panama issued Provisional Dismissal No. 117, closing criminal case No. 202200066986. The case was initiated by attorney Moisés Joel Bartlett Quiel on behalf of Villamorey, S.A., accusing Harald Johannessen Hals, legal representative of Lisa, S.A., of extortion and simulation of a crime. Villamorey claimed that repeated criminal complaints filed by Lisa, S.A. over alleged fraud and embezzlement were false and abusive, aimed at coercing a commercial settlement. These earlier criminal proceedings had already been closed by prosecutors and confirmed by judges.

After reviewing the evidence, including interviews and prior rulings, the Prosecutor concluded there was no basis to reopen the matter or to sustain new criminal charges. The archival resolutions referenced by Villamorey did not declare the prior complaints as false or malicious—an essential requirement under Panamanian jurisprudence to prove simulation of a crime. Additionally, the alleged extortion lacked any evidence of illicit profit-seeking. As a result, the Public Ministry found that neither alleged crime had occurred and closed the case under Article 275 of the Criminal Procedure Code.