Panama expects to be eliminated quickly from a “gray checklist” of nations that aren’t doing sufficient to fight cash laundering, following years of stress to scrub up its monetary system within the wake of the Panama Papers scandal.

President Laurentino Cortizo informed the Monetary Instances that the Central American nation was finishing work on a useful registry of firm possession, one of many final excellent duties assigned by the Monetary Motion Process Drive, a global watchdog.

“We expect to go away FATF [’s grey list] quickly, we expect it this yr,” the president mentioned. “We’ve made an infinite effort. I’ve been personally following the workforce engaged on the problem”.

A senior US embassy official confirmed there was a “actually good chance” Panama would depart the FATF gray checklist and it might occur earlier than the tip of 2023 if sufficient progress was made on importing firms to the registry of useful possession. Data from the registry additionally wanted to be handed on to regulation enforcement for potential prosecutions, the official added.

Panama has been beneath intense stress from FATF to finish its excellent actions, having missed a 2021 deadline. In its newest evaluation in February, the organisation urged Panama to “swiftly full its motion plan by June 2023” or face enhanced due diligence of transactions.

The FATF was based in 1989 to fight cash laundering, terrorist financing and different related threats to the integrity of the worldwide monetary system. Its gray checklist contains nations akin to Syria, Albania, Nigeria and the Cayman Islands.

Panama hit the headlines in 2016 when the Worldwide Consortium of Investigative Journalists printed the “Panama Papers” — an enormous leak of paperwork from Panama-based regulation agency Mossack Fonseca. It uncovered the actions of 214,000 offshore firms, a few of which sheltered thousands and thousands of {dollars} of hidden belongings belonging to politicians and world leaders.

Cortizo, a former cattle rancher, lamented that his “welcome current as president-elect” in 2019 was Panama being placed on the FATF gray checklist. He argued his nation had been handled unfairly since, he claimed, it was solely dwelling to 0.27 per cent of the world’s offshore firms.

“It’s a must to ask the place the opposite 99 per cent of the offshore firms are situated,” the president mentioned, noting that some US states akin to Delaware had been tax havens. “It’s vital that in addition they cope with the issue of their tax havens.”

Cortizo stays eager to shake off Panama’s picture as a haven for shady cash, stressing that “we’re open, and I wish to put this in capital letters, underlined and in daring, open to good funding”. He desires to promote Panama as “a rustic of alternatives which respects regulation and order”.

Multinationals seem to have heard the message, flocking to Panama lately to ascertain regional headquarters, drawn by a secure, business-friendly funding local weather and good air and sea connections. The financial system has been one in all Latin America’s greatest performers. Final yr it grew 10 per cent and this yr is predicted to develop one other 5 per cent, in accordance with the IMF.

Ilan Goldfajn, president of the Inter-American Growth Financial institution, final month lauded Panama for instance of financial restoration from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Regardless of boasting a Miami-like skyline of gleaming workplace towers and one of many highest ranges of gross home product per capita in Latin America, Panama stays a profoundly unequal society and was shaken by weeks of anti-government protests final yr.

Elections are due subsequent yr and though Panama permits re-election Cortizo, 70, can not run for a second consecutive time period. Former president Ricardo Martinelli is casting a protracted shadow, having introduced his intention to hunt his occasion’s nomination as a candidate.

Designated by the US state division for “vital corruption” and banned from entry however nonetheless topping some early polls in Panama, Martinelli is going through two separate court docket instances for corruption. His sons had been sentenced to 3 years imprisonment within the US for laundering $28mn of bribes.

“It’s a call for the individuals . . . that’s the burden of democracy,” Cortizo mentioned when requested concerning the prospect of Martinelli returning to energy.

“I really like the excursions of group work which I do in rural Panama . . . 624 actions, twice the variety of the final three administrations . . . I can’t stand for re-election however I hope that type of presidency continues.”