Panama tax authority scandal triggers demand for tighter digital safeguards

The Panama Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIA) warned that a suspected corruption scandal at the Dirección General de Ingresos (DGI) has exposed major vulnerabilities in the e‑Tax 2.0 system. An internal audit found that US$36.01 million of the US$42.4 million used by a single bank between 2022 and 2025 were improper and illegitimate, indicating that real payments were used to fabricate tax credits. CCIA President Aurelio Barría Pino called for stronger controls, independent audits, automatic alerts and a digital custody chain to track who modifies records, when, and how. The chamber stressed that unchecked digital transformation "is an open door to fraud" and urged the DGI to dismantle criminal networks, recover every dollar and sanction responsible parties to restore public confidence. The Panama Superintendency of Banks also announced continued close supervision of the banking sector, naming BAC International Bank among institutions under watch.