Pérez Balladares indicates in a note that the plaintiff attorneys requested the action under the provisions of article 533 and following of the Judicial Code, in order to prevent the civil process against the La Prensa Corporation from being illusory in its effects.

In other words, the asset freeze order corresponds to the natural evolution of case No. 20896, in which both parties have exercised the legal actions contemplated by the Constitution of the Republic of Panama and the complementary laws that safeguard the rights of all citizens, explains the note.

The former president points out that the precautionary measure is aimed at guaranteeing the legal actions he took in 2012 against this newspaper for the dissemination of false information in a series of articles published on March 21 and 22, 2011 in the printed and digital versions of said medium.

On that occasion, the journalistic notes made a direct and unsubstantiated allusion that the former president was involved in a money laundering case that was being investigated by the Prosecutor against Organized Crime of the Public Ministry, said the statement by Pérez Balladares.

The former president adds that although these allegations were widely shown to be false, La Prensa was not willing to back down.

So in March 2012, the former president filed a civil lawsuit for 5.5 million dollars against La Prensa for damages, by intentionally and insultingly linking him to money laundering.

Among his arguments, Pérez Balladares not only highlights the moral damage and the national and international loss of prestige of his image, but also the possible undue media pressure on the judge who would attend a preliminary hearing to which the former president had to attend in that case. "

Also in a thread on Twitter, Pérez Balladares pointed out that as a company or media outlet, The Press has the responsibility if they want to continue operating, to maintain their workers, consigning in court the amount for which the seizure was decreed.