On 7 August 2025, two environmental organisations, Centro de Incidencia Ambiental (CIAM) and Adopta Bosque Panamá, were criminally sued by Ocean Pacific Financial Services Corp., the developer of the Puerto Barú project. The criminal complaint is based on slander, libel, and crimes against the national economy. The complaint followed the organisations' public opposition to the port project. In September 2024, CIAM and Adopta Bosque were part of a group of organisations that filed lawsuits before the Supreme Court of Justice against the environmental impact studies for the Puerto Barú project, challenging the project’s environmental impact studies for alleged violations of environmental regulations. These legal proceedings are still pending before the Supreme Court, with no final ruling to date.