Panama⁠ president accuses CK Hutchison subsidiary of lying about arbitration response

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has accused a subsidiary of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings of lying about the country’s response to an arbitration initiated by the company over the seizure of two strategic ports.Mulino’s rebuttal on Thursday was in response to claims several days earlier by the Panama Ports Company (PPC) that his government had failed to file a response to the company’s request for arbitration by the deadline of March 13.The company filed the request after the country seized control of terminals at the Balboa and Cristobal ports in February.PPC, a subsidiary of the conglomerate owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s family, claimed the government had said it was “not prepared” and would not be able to respond in time because it had not hired any lawyers, “was not familiar with the dispute” and needed time to develop a plan.Mulino reportedly rejected the accusation and said the government was backed by international counsel.“[The accusation] is outrageous and a lie,” he said. “We have appointed ‌international lawyers who are going to defend us.”