Panama president ‘asked to help’ in Trump hotel fight
DONALD TRUMP’S company appealed directly to Panama’s president to intervene in its fight over control of a luxury hotel, it has been reported.
Panama’s government said on Monday it would not intervene in the dispute between the Trump Organization and a new majority investor in a hotel in the country’s capital.
In March, legal representatives of the Trump Organization wrote to Juan Carlos Varela, the Panama president, asking him to help the group in its fight over ownership of the 70-floor hotel complex, said a letter seen by Reuters.
The letter from a law firm, dated March 22, asks Mr Varela to use his influence and alleges that its due process rights had been violated.
But Isabel Saint Malo, the vice-president, told reporters: “I don’t think the executive branch has a position to take while this issue is in process in the judicial branch.”
The Trump Organisation confirmed that the letter was sent, but rejected any assertion that the letter sought to “pressure” the president or any other official. The letter alleges that legal decisions violated a 1983 trade deal designed to protect US investors in Panama. “The drafting of this type of letter was such a routine matter for our firm, that the authorisation of Trump Organisation for its delivery was not requested,” the group said.
When finished in 2011, the building was Mr Trump’s first international hotel venture, a waterfront complex including apartments and a casino that has earned him up to $50 million (£35 million).
Mr Trump licensed his brand to the project and provided hotel management. But workers removed the Trump name from the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in March after the Trump Organization lost control of administration of the property.