The home of Panamanian journalist Rolando Rodríguez, associate deputy editor of La Prensa of Panama and who had been part of an investigation into Castro's business dealings, was targeted by arson in the early hours of Saturday.
According to reports from Diario de Cuba, La Prensa, and Transparencia Venezuela, this constitutes the first attack of its kind against a journalist in that country. Rodríguez was not home at the time of the attack. His wife was inside and managed to escape unharmed.
The attack occurred around 2:30 AM in the San Miguelito district, Panama City, and destroyed two vehicles parked in the property's garage, as well as affecting part of the building. Firefighters had to respond to extinguish the fire.
A security camera from a nearby home captured the moment a man approached the house carrying a backpack on his chest; seconds later, the reflection of the flames appears in the footage.
According to reports from La Prensa, the individual got out of a taxi and .
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) strongly condemned the attack, called it of "extreme seriousness," and demanded an immediate investigation, clarification of the responsible parties, and guarantees of protection for Rodríguez and his family. So far, no arrests have been reported.
Corruption Exposed
The journalist participated in the transnational investigation "Family Businesses", coordinated by the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP) along with La Prensa, Armando.info, Transparencia Venezuela, and Diario de Cuba.
This journalistic work exposed the business connections of the family Carretero Napolitano —Panamanian entrepreneurs— with Venezuelan chavismo and the Cuban regime, and documented how companies linked to Ramón Carretero Napolitano had allegedly secured over 800 million dollars in contracts with the Venezuelan government since 2014, in addition to trafficking oil to Cuba.
The reports in which Rodríguez participated included "Destination Cuba: the Lost Trail of Venezuelan Oil" and "Ramón Carretero and the Business of Scarcity in Cuba," published between July and September of this year.
At the time of the attack, the journalist was preparing a new report on business in Panama by Roberto Carretero, brother of Ramón.
On Friday, just hours before the fire, La Prensa received a letter signed by Roberto Carretero's attorney warning that the pending publication "would damage the honor of their client."
The three Carretero brothers —Ramón, Vicente, and Roberto— were sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury in December 2025.
Months earlier, in October 2026, they had filed a criminal complaint for slander and defamation against journalist Sabrina Bacal and the media outlets Armando.info and Praxis, but the Prosecutor's Office provisionally shelved it due to lack of evidence.
The investigation also documented links to Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" and the grandson of Raúl Castro, through shared flight records with Ramón Carretero.
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