The Hemisphere: Another Payoff

• Share

The polls closed more than a month ago, but Panama's politicians are still paying off election debts. And for some the only way is bullets and blood.

Four weeks ago, Aquilino Boyd, Panama's fire-breathing Ambassador to the U.N. who doubles as a federal Deputy, shot and wounded a newspaper editor in revenge for an uncomplimentary story about his re-election attempt. Last week another prominent Panamanian was involved in a shooting vendetta—on the receiving end. Lying in a Panama City hospital with severe bullet wounds was Roberto ("Tito") Arias, 45, moneyed husband of British Ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, nephew of just-defeated presidential candidate Arnulfo Arias, and proud possessor of a long and varied career in his own right.

Bag & Gun. After marrying Dame Margot in 1955, Tito twice served (1955-58, 1960-62) as Panama's Ambassador to the Court of St. James's.

But it was what he did during his undiplomatic moments that made him interesting. Five years ago, angry at the then President, he launched a low-comedy invasion of Panama with seven men and a couple of boatfuls of arms. The invasion failed, of course; Dame Margot, who was along for the ride, was expelled from the country, while Tito scampered into the Brazilian embassy until the storm blew over. Since then, he has been linked with various gunrunning efforts and last year, still another caper—alleged whisky smuggling—landed him in a Panama jail for three days until charges were dropped.

All that ancient history didn't bother the voters, who overwhelmingly elected Tito to the National Assembly last month. Running with him as an alter nate Deputy was one Alfredo Jimènez, 33, an old crony who campaigned energetically for both Tito and Arnulfo. In return, he fully expected to be chosen from the elected alternates to sit in for Tito whenever he is away. Since that is often, Jimènez was counting on earning a near full-scale $12,000 annually. But Tito chose someone else as his alternate, and Jimenez was left holding the bag—and a gun.

At a Traffic Light. One day last week, as Tito's chauffeur-driven limousine halted for a traffic light in Panama City, Jimènez leaped from a nearby car, crying, "I won't let you doublecross me!" Jimènez then pumped four bullets into Arias' neck, right shoulder and right side.

Rushed to a hospital, Arias underwent two lengthy operations. Dame Margot went on with her show in England, took the curtain calls and then flew to Panama. At week's end, doctors were hopeful of saving Tito's life, but one bullet may have damaged his spinal cord, possibly paralyzing him from the neck down. And Jimènez? The word reaching frustrated police is that he is hiding out in the home of another political pal, one who has legislative immunity, and is thus quite beyond their reach.