Panama :  The Panama Government has decided to sue Brazilian construction company Odebrecht for allegedly paying bribes to former officials.

The government will become a complainant in the investigation conducted by the Attorney General into Odebrecht "so that the different institutions that may be affected are part of the process, actively collaborate and recover diverted funds", Xinhua news agency cited a statement as saying on Tuesday.

The Panamanian Public Prosecutor's Office (OTP) said it had filed money-laundering charges against 17 people linked to Odebrecht's bribes in the country.-IANS