PANAMA – A trial date has finally been set for jailed American producer Frederick Salaff, who remains under country-wide house arrest, isolated from his wife, and prohibited from seeking employment within Panama.“As incredible as it seems a court date has finally been set in my case for October 24th,” Salaff wrote in an email dated May 13. “This is five months down the road and almost two years since my arrest.”

Salaff reports that he is still “not free to leave Panama and am not legally allowed to work,” and that he has been separated from his wide since January of last year. Salaff’s wife is a Cuban citizen, and Salaff said Panamanian authorities have denied her an entry visa to come to Panama.

Salaff was arrested on January 23rd, 2005, after shooting two scenes at a seaside house Salaff rented in Veracruz, Panama. The circumstances surrounding and support for Salaff’s arrest appear to have been dubious, at best.

Salaff and his company, Rio Bueno, LTD, SA, were charged with coercing prostitutes to perform in his adult productions, failing to obtain and file the proper paperwork to film adult movies in Panama, and not taking proper measures to prevent minors from being exposed to sexual activity.

All charges but the allegation of exposing of minors to sexual activity (a charge which stems from children in the neighborhood supposedly climbing trees to watch the filming taking place in Salaff’s back yard), were subsequently dropped, almost immediately following the arrest.

In a memorandum written by Modesto Alvarez, a corregidor (a type of “special police official” under the Panamanian constitution) in Veracruz, which was sent to David Cáceres, the mayor of Arraijan, Alvarez contends that the arrest of Salaff and all others present was founded upon falsified and altered documents, and that the reasons for the raid itself were not clear.

One of the forged documents was a back-dated search warrant specifying that police were raiding the house in search of fugitives and illegal firearms. Not only were no fugitives or firearms located at the house, the police who entered Salaff’s home never searched for such items in the first place.

Although Salaff is hopeful that his ordeal is nearing its end, he has renewed his plea for financial assistance and says the events of the last 16-plus months have taken a heavy toll.

“More than ever I need your financial support to get through,” Salaff wrote in the May 13th email. “We are hoping that the case will be dismissed at the preliminary trial (which must be held in this type of case, according to Panamanian law).”

“I am trying to ‘hang in’ but it is very difficult,” Salaff added. “My supply of medicines have run out, I need three root canals (due to breaking teeth in jail and subsequent neglect), my wife needs some money to survive without me in Cuba – the list goes on.”

Donations to Salaff may be made via Paypal; more information is available on Salaff’s website, at http://www.fredsalaff.com.