Panama doesn't hit the news that often. When it does, it's a safe bet there's something dodgy afoot.
When Anne Darwin, wife of the canoeist John Darwin, missing presumed dead since March 2002, made the decision to leave Britain earlier this year, she chose to ship herself and her money to Panama City. She had visited the country on holiday, a curious destination for a single woman in her 50s.
Now we learn she had company. A photograph (right) of Anne with her husband John, far from dead, emerged this week on a property website, Move to Panama. It shows the happy couple together in a Panamanian apartment in July 2006.
As a result, John has been arrested on suspicion of fraud, while in Panama City his wife, questioned yesterday about the apparently damning photograph, broke down
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It’s sunny, it’s safe and there are more than 150 banks happy to look after your cash, reports MIKE POWER |
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and admitted to British reporters: "Yes, that's my husband." She said: "It looks as if I am going to be left without a husband, a home or a family now."
So why would anyone move to Panama, famous only for its canal, bananas, corrupt 1980s narco-tyrant Manuel Noriega, and straw hats?
First, it's sunny, safe and tranquil, and there are no earthquakes, hurricanes, or tsunamis. The economy is booming, and the cost of living is low. More than 15,000 foreign pensioners live in Panama, lured by cheap housing and a range of discounts on everything from food to cinema and airline tickets. Pensioners get a residency visa if you can show an income of just $600 a month. Failing that, you can simply pay to extend your tourist visa.
But really, it's all about the money. The sleepy Central American backwater is a crooked S-shaped 
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Newsdesk
