By Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY, Jan 30 (Reuters) - A contract held by a Hong Kong company to operate ports at the Panama Canal violated the Panama constitution and did not serve the public interest, the country's Supreme Court said in a Thursday decision that voided a deal made in the 1990s.

Danish firm Maersk will temporarily operate two ports on the Panama Canal after a court ruled that contracts given to a Hong Kong firm were unconstitutional.

Its statement added that it had invested more than $1.8bn (£1.3bn) in infrastructure and technology since it began operating the ports in