Deputy José Pérez Barboni from the Movimiento Otro Camino (Moca) alleges the existence of 'ghost workers' ('botellas') within Panama's National Assembly. He criticizes the Comptroller General's payment system, involving the distribution of cheques, as inefficient and prone to irregularities.
The Comptroller General's process involved distributing 3,812 cheques; 110 remained uncollected, which Pérez Barboni links to the presence of 'ghost workers'. He cites observations of individuals with visitor stickers, appearing only on paydays. This contrasts with the Association of Legislative Career Servers' claim that uncollected cheques were due to vacations, leaves, or inter-institutional loans.
Pérez Barboni vehemently disagrees, stating that denying the existence of 'ghost workers' is a blatant lie to the country. He describes the cheque distribution process as uncomfortable for genuine employees, suggesting improvements such as distributing payments by department and day to reduce congestion. While acknowledging the Comptroller's efforts, he recommends improvements, including a departmentalized and staggered distribution of payments.
He expresses reservations about installing time clocks, suggesting that implementation should be decided at departmental levels, respecting the Assembly's autonomy. He also criticized the Comptroller's comments towards his colleague Grace Hernández, calling them unfortunate and suggesting that if accusations are to be made, they should be done publicly.