Martinelli Sons trial in USA & return to Panama

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The privileged life of the Martinelli sons in a misnamed prison for the wealthy

Posted 11/04/2022

Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, sons of former president Ricardo Martinelli are in  a New York Federal prison awaiting sentencing in May, after being extradited from Guatemala to the United States.

The brothers pleaded guilty to money laundering and prosecutors have asked for jail terms more than 15 years  while the defense asked the judge to recognize in their sentence the time they spent deprived of liberty in the 'Mariscal Zavala' prison in Guatemala.

Luis Enrique Martinelli, "Kike", was detained in Guatemala from July 6, 2020 to November 15, 2021, that is, about 16 months. His older brother, Ricardo Alberto, “Rica”, spent almost an additional month in Guatemala, and was transferred on December 11.

In May, each one, separately, will know his sentence, after having confessed their participation in a money-laundering scheme through which millions of dollars received as bribes from the contractor Odebrecht were laundered in the years in which their father was President of Panama.

Prosecutors have requested a sentence of more than fifteen years for each. The lawyers representing the brothers argue that they should not receive more than two years in prison and that the time they have already spent in detention (16 and 17 months in Guatemala, plus the four or five months they have been in New York) are recognized. In other words, they would already be released.

The defense attorneys, in pleading for a more lenient sentence, have slipped in an argument to take into account the harsh conditions that inmates normally go through in Central Amercan prisons, known for their overcrowding and violence, in centers mixed with gang members, drug traffickers and highly dangerous detainees.

 But, was not the experience of the sons, while delaying the extradition process with an infinity of legal resources, extending a process that normally takes between six and eight months, to twice as long reports La Prensa.

An investigation carried out by this medium, together with journalists and a dozen sources, reveals another reality.

After fighting against extradition, delaying the hearings, and even seeing how the Guatemalan authorities seize the family's private plane after an escape attempt  foiled, they were extradited to the United States, but not before making it clear that In Latin America, not all prisons are the same, nor is it that all prisoners are treated the same.

The military complex, which houses the misnamed "Marshal Zavala Prison", is today a military operations center, the residence of the Minister of Defense, an explosives warehouse, the military chaplaincy, and a training center with a landing strip.

A tour inside the prison that shows the privileges of 'high profile' inmates and social status”, headlined the newspaper Prensa Libre of Guatemala in a report dated February 21.

"The prison offers comfort, luxury, and privacy but only for those who can afford it," says the article, explaining that originally the military complex had ceded space to the Ministry of the Interior to install a "maximum security prison" within its perimeter.

This space ended up being an oasis for white-collar criminals, politicians, and prisoners with high purchasing power where the brothers for $25,000 a month each could bring in a designer from Miami to remodel their extensive quarters, and order liquor. Wines and food from local restaurants, party with visitors, and even have access to prostitutes

If they receive the sentences requested by prosecutors life behind bars will not be the same.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-privileged-life-of-the-martinelli-sons-in-a-misnamed-prison-for-the-wealthy-1

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Attempt to advance sentencing of Martinelli's sons foiled

The sons of former president Martinelli are detained in a Brooklyn prison. Luis Enrique left, and Ricardo Alberto.

Posted 12/04/2022

An attempt by the sons of former president  Ricardo  Martinelli to advance their sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to money laundering has been blocked by the prosecution because they are still reviewing “relevant information” from Panama and Guatemala.

Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares are in a New York Federal prison.

In a note sent on Monday, April 11, to Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the Eastern District Court of New York, the New York State Attorney's Office and the Fraud and Money Laundering Assets Recovery criminal divisions of the Department of American Justice, said they oppose the request presented by the lawyers of the Martinelli Linares, last Friday.

The note, headed by prosecutor Breon Peace, points out that the manifesto of the Panamanian government is still under analysis so that it is recognized as a "victim of crime" in the restitution of the $28 million in Odebrecht bribes that were laundered by Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto, through the US financial system.

The petition was formally communicated on December 10, 2021, to the United States Department of Justice by the Office of the Attorney General, in its capacity as the central authority of the Republic of Panama for the United Nations Convention against Corruption and fulfilling its obligation constitutional right to defend the interests of the Panamanian State.

Luis Enrique's allegation regarding his presumed membership in the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) is also being studied. The two brothers were elected alternate deputies in May 2019, but they never took office.

The US government is gathering information on the circumstances of the year and a half that the Martinelli Linares remained detained at the Mariscal Zavala military base in Guatemala, awaiting extradition.

Delaying tactics
Over that time the two detainees filed several appeals, in different courts, to avoid being handed over. Now, their lawyers claim that the 18 months they were in Mariscal Zavala be recognized as time served in the sentence that Judge Dearie will dictate.

The defense attorneys intended to advance the sentencing of their clients for the week beginning Monday, April 25 until May 6.

Therefore, the reading of the sentence remains on the originally established dates: Ricardo Alberto's on May 13 and Luis Enrique's, on May 20.

Luis Enrique, 39, and Ricardo Alberto, 42, pleaded guilty on December 2 and 14, 2021, respectively, to the charge of conspiracy to launder $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht, for the benefit of a “ high official of the government of Panama”, between the years 2010 to 2014, whose name has not been released by the New York prosecutor's office. However, it is known that that high official is also a close relative of the Martinelli Linares.

In Panama, former President Martinelli and his two sons are charged with bribes paid by Odebrecht. The preliminary hearing will be from July 18 to August 5, but the former president will not appear -for the time being-, since he enjoys criminal electoral jurisdiction.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/attempt-to-advance-sentencing-of-martinelli039s-sons-foiled-1

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Martinelli brothers  will be sentenced at same hearing

Posted 15/04/2022

The sentencing of Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares will no longer be on May 13, as was announced last December. Now it will be on May 20, in the same hearing that was already scheduled to communicate the sentence of his brother Luis Enrique. Both are arrested in Brooklyn for conspiring to launder bribes paid by the construction company Odebecht.

Judge Richard Dearie of the Eastern District Court of New York announced the decision on Friday, April 15. Previously, Dearie rejected a request from the brothers to advance the hearing and hold it in the week beginning April 25

Martinelli’s two children remain in the federal detention center in Brooklyn, without bail.

Luis Enrique, 40, and Ricardo Alberto, 42, pleaded guilty on December 2 and 14, 2021, respectively, to one count of conspiracy to launder $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht, for the benefit of a "high official of the government of Panama”, between the years 2010 to 2014.

The name of the "senior official" has not been released, but it is known that he is a "close relative" of Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique reports La Prensa.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-brothers-will-be-sentenced-at-same-hearing

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Prosecutor asks 135 months jail for Martinelli sons

Posted 07/05/2022

The New York prosecutor's office requests a sentence of 108 months (9 years) to 135 months (11 years and 3 months) for Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, both confessed to having conspired to launder $28 million in bribes delivered by the Brazilian contractor Odebrecht, “for the benefit of a close family member and high-ranking Panamanian government official,” between August 2009 and September 2015.

This reports La Prensa, is stated in the notes sent to Judge Raymond J. Dearie, who on May 20 must sentence the two sons of former President Ricardo Martinelli. One 17-page note is dedicated to Ricardo Alberto and the other, 19, to Luis Enrique, although the content of both is similar, as they are accused of the same acts and the conditions of both are the same.

The prosecution says that the Probation Department recommended a higher sentence of 180 months (15 years) in prison, as well as a payment of $250,000 since no grounds were observed that could have "mitigated" the sentence.

In its recommendation to the judge, the prosecution took into account three factors: the seriousness of the charges; the little collaboration of the accused, and the escape carried out in June 2020, which was considered "an attempt to evade their responsibilities for the crimes committed."

In this way, the prosecution strongly opposes the claim of Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique's lawyers, who a week ago requested their release, considering that the 23 months that their clients have been preventively detained is the prison sentence that would correspond to them for having pleaded guilty to the crime of conspiracy to launder money, using the American banking system.

The prosecution points out that although the defendants allege that the 23 months of preventive detention are sufficient punishment, because - according to their lawyers - they played a "simple" role as intermediaries in receiving the money from Odebrecht, their participation was "essential for the commission of this crime and maintained criminal, systematic and strategic behavior for nearly six years.”

In addition to managing companies in different jurisdictions and opening bank accounts to launder $28 million in bribes for the benefit of a "senior Panamanian government official" the brothers worked as lobbyists for Odebrecht, used their contacts with ministers and high officials of the Panamanian government, and invested the money from the bribes for their own benefit and that of their families. Some of the funds were used to purchase “luxury” goods, such as a $1.7 million yacht and a $1.3 million condominium in, Miami. Likewise, they used $9.5 million to invest in a telephone service company, and other amounts to acquire bonds and shares.

Metro overpricing
Although the charge against them is for conspiring to launder $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht,  the prosecutor's note mentions that the Brazilian company disbursed another $30 million, to bank accounts in euros, in favor of the sons of the former president.. The money was paid by the Department of Structured Operations, the office that managed the bribes of the construction company. In exchange, Odebrecht received public infrastructure contracts, awarded "with millions of dollars overpriced"

"It is clear that the co-defendants and the high-ranking official of the Panamanian government benefited from the scheme, at the expense of the Panamanian people," the prosecution notes.

The brothers maintain that they collaborated with the US authorities starting in 2018, but the prosecution replies that this was nothing more than a " facade "since, in the period in which they were supposed to collaborate, they systematically hid crucial information. “At the same time, they were planning to leave the country”, which they finally did in June 2020. Specifically, the note mentions that they got help from the Ministry of Health, to authorize the "humanitarian" flight that would bring them to Panama. By then, they had already posted bail to avoid being arrested in Panama and had even obtained diplomatic credentials from the Central American Parliament.

Private apartment 
Regarding the time they were detained at the military base in Guatemala, the note states that they were initially accommodated in a private apartment inside the prison and not in a "traditional" cell. The prosecution informs Judge Dearie that this apartment was arranged by the same interior designer who previously worked for Luis Enrique in the Brickell condo, as well as in a Miami mansion owned by the "senior Panamanian government official",  The decorator brought Ikea furniture to Guatemala that was used in the apartment and remained there until July 2021, when the brothers were sent to a more secure area at the military base after an escape plan became known.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/prosecutor-asks-135-months-jail-for-martinelli-sons

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Judge may name recipient of laundered bribes

Ricardo Martinelli's sons will be sentenced on May 20 after pleading guilty to laundering $28 million.

Posted 15/05/2022

Everything has its end and a process for money laundering is no exception writes Monica Palm in La Prensa.

On May 6, the New York prosecutor's office presented Judge Raymond Dearie with a note with strong assertions that support the sentence they suggested be applied to Ricardo Alberto and Luis Martinelli Linares, and a week later, the defense delivered a reply that, if Although it is a flowery literary effort -considering the circumstances of the accused-, it suggests that they are scratching the bottom of the pot of arguments.

For example, the defense tried to compare the sentence recommended by the prosecution with that applied to José Carlos Grubisich, former CEO of Braskem, the petrochemical subsidiary of Odebrecht involved in another aspect of the same mega bribery case.

For Grubisich, the prosecution requested last year 60 months in prison and Judge Dearie set the sentence at 20 months. This is not even a new issue: the prosecution had already explained why the realities of the former Braskem executive and the Martinelli Linares are different. Grubisich "personally did not receive or invest for himself the bribe money" and this contrasts with the yacht and the luxury condominium for personal gain to which they dedicated a significant part of the laundered funds who now present themselves as simple intermediaries.

It is noteworthy that, although the defenders have reiterated in recent weeks that the sentence should be equal to or close to the time they have been detained (23 months), on April 29 they sent a note to Judge Dearie asking that, if their clients have to serve additional time in prison, they are sent to a camp. According to the Bureau of Prisons, there are 122 federal prisons in the United States, divided into five levels of security. A camp has such a low level that it does not even reach low security: its perimeter fences are limited or non-existent and there are no traditional cells, only dormitories. Surveillance is poor and there is a relatively low staff to prisoner ratio. In other words, the severity of life in a camp is so light that it doesn't even seem like a penitentiary facility.

Taking into account that the agreement reached with the prosecution was approved by the judge, it would be correct to assume that he already knows the identity of the aforementioned close relative. Hopefully, soon they will reveal it publicly so that Panamanians - true victims of this corruption machine - at least receive some consolation prize.

Thus, perhaps, the matter does not stop there. It is not fair that a foreign country has investigated, extradited, prosecuted, and sentenced two Panamanians who were important players in the Odebrecht bribery scheme, while nothing has happened to them here.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/judge-may-name-recipient-of-laundered-bribes-1

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International  shame as identity of Panama big fish hidden

The Martinelli brothers were arrested in Guatemala while allegedly Panama-bound to face "justice"

Posted 16/05/2022

Four days before the sentencing in New York of the sons of former president Ricardo Martinelli for money laundering in the Odebrecht global corruption plot there is " international shame " that Panama and their administration of justice have not yet been able to bring to trial locally those responsible for the diversion of millions of dollars destined for public infrastructure works reports La Prensa.

Former comptroller Alvin Weeden, who was one of the first to file a complaint with Odebrecht -in September 2015- to initiate an investigation into the use of the local financial system in illegal activities said: “ happily the long arm of justice is working somewhere in the world ”. But it is unfortunate since another jurisdiction has had to do it. “With this week's sentence,  the prosecutors' investigations do not end, since the next one would be the unnamed   senior official.”

Former Attorney General, Ana Matilde Gómez, described as " a national shame " the fact that the Martinelli Linares have pleaded guilty to the crime of laundering bribes in favor of a " senior official ". of the Panamanian government, that is a close relative ” and that in Panama not even the preliminary hearing could be held. “ The equation is almost perfect or almost complete. For whom could the children launder money if they did not hold public office? ”, Gómez said.

Lawyer Carlos Ernesto González says Article 24 of the Constitution reads: “ The State may not extradite its nationals ...” For González, this case questions the efficiency of justice. Although there are some justice operators in Panama who try to do their job, the mechanisms to guarantee the impunity of the corrupt remain intact. “ The problem is not that there is corruption, which can happen anywhere in the world, the problem is that it is not punished ”.

From Monday, July 18 to Friday, August 5, the Third Criminal Court of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama, plans to hold the main preliminary hearing of the Odebrecht case. There are 62 defendants, including former presidents Ricardo Martinelli and Juan Carlos Varela.

The big question
The former Accounts Prosecutor, Guido Rodríguez, does not expect the name of the " senior official " to be revealed at Friday's hearing. Although it is clear in Panama who is the big fish, the question is still hanging around. He cited an article by the singer Rubén Blades, published on January 16, 202, in which, questioning Martinelli, he makes the following reflection: “ His two sons have already accepted his corruption, admitting to being guilty of accepting bribes, laundering and hiding money, and act as illicit intermediaries. There is only one more question to be clarified: Ricardo Martinelli, are you that high-ranking official and close relative? ”.

The Martinelli rothers, admitted to having laundered at least $28 million dollars in bribes (now prosecutors say that this figure could be doubled), have tried to minimize their participation by claiming that they actually had a role as. “ peripherals ” in the scheme.

Their father is not only protected from eventual extradition but -for now- he cannot be prosecuted in the New Business money laundering cases, whose hearing begins Thursday, May 19.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/international-shame-as-identity-of-panama-big-fish-hidden

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Martinelli brothers never acted in good faith - prosecutors

Posted 19/05/2022

Less than 24 hours before Judge Raymond J. Dearie sentences the brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, the US prosecutor's office sent a letter informing him that they never cooperated in good faith with the investigation process.  “ Defendants did not engage in the cooperation process in good faith, failed to disclose key information, and ultimately sought to use their privilege, wealth, and power to thwart the investigation and avoid taking responsibility for their actions in the United States”, says the letter from the Prosecutor’s Office signed by Alixandra Smith, Michael Culhane Harper and Michael Redmann.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-brothers-never-acted-in-good-faith-prosecutors

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Martinelli sons get 3-years jail but finger father

Posted 20/05/2022

Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares were sentenced to 36 months in prison and two years of supervised release for conspiring to launder $28 million from Odebrecht, but they confessed that their father, former president Ricardo Martinelli gave the orders.

Since June 2020, the prosecutor's office for the Eastern District of New York has said that Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique received the bribes, for the benefit of a "senior Panamanian official" who, in addition, is a "close relative" of both.  On Friday, it is finally known that the person is Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal reports La Prensa

All this came to light at a sentencing hearing, convened by Judge Raymond Dearie. The first to identify the "senior Panamanian official" were the lawyers of the two defendants. The prosecution followed, which also confirmed that Martinelli Berrocal benefited from the bribes.

Judge Dearie, earlier in the hearing had called them "arrogant." The defense replied that they were not arrogant, but "two scared children" who followed their father's orders.

The brothers appeared before the judge wearing the cream uniform of a prisoner. The two asked to speak and apologized to the Panamanian people, the US government, and their relatives: the mother and sister, and also the wife of Luis Enrique.

They also complained about the "inhumane" conditions in the Brooklyn prison and asked to be transferred to another facility. For that, they must submit a formal request, in writing.

$18.9 million seized
Hours before, Assistant District Attorney Alixandra Smith filed a preliminary order with Judge Dearie to seize nearly $18.9 million, in addition to all "rights," titles, interest, and "traceable" income tied to the crime for which the brothers confessed, last December. Part of the funds is deposited in two accounts at Bank Vontobel AG, in Switzerland, in the name of the companies Diamong Investments Corp. and Waterspoon International Ltd.

Among the forfeited assets is a beachfront condominium on Miami's Brickell Avenue in the Icon Tower building, which was once the residence of Luis Enrique. The apartment has already been sold for $1.4 million. In addition, the deputy prosecutor requests the execution of the immigration bond that both consigned, after being detained by immigration agents, on November 20, 2018. That bond has an approximate amount of $1million 32 thousand, for each one.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-sons-get-3-years-jail-but-finger-father

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Martinelli statement "the pinnacle of cynicism"

Posted 22/05/2022

The statement released on Friday signed by former President Ricardo Martinelli's spokesman is the pinnacle of cynicism. “Ex-president Martinelli understands that obtaining the most favorable sentence was the north of the defense of his children […]. In his conversations with them, he told them that his lawyers should do whatever is necessary to that end. Every person who has children will understand perfectly that for his children a father is willing to carry the load that is necessary…”. The defense of the Martinelli brothers held the former president responsible for the criminal conduct of his clients. So the suggestion was that the lawyers lie to the judge to get the most favorable sentence, holding him responsible for everything? Lying to a judge is not something that is taken lightly in the United States, so it is unlikely that the lawyers would consider such nonsense. Furthermore, there is nothing noble about suggesting doing what is necessary if it involves lying. But in reality what the statement was looking for was something else: to make us believe that the lawyers lied about the accusations that they poured out on him in court. It takes a crooked mind to take advantage of the worst moment in the lives of his children, to save his skin. – THE PRESS, May 22.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/martinelli-statement-ampquotthe-pinnacle-of-cynicismampquot-1

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Sentencing of Martinelli brothers gives new impetus to Odebrecht case

Posted 24/05/2022

The revelations made in the trial of Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares on Friday, May 20, in a Federal Court in New York (NY) would give new impetus to the case that is being followed in Panama for the bribes paid by Odebrecht.

Former Supreme Court judge Harry Díaz said the Public Ministry should request the ruling of Judge Raymond Dearie, translate it, authenticate it and introduce it as extraordinary evidence in the trial.

After the revelations that emerged in the trial of the sons of former president Ricardo Martinelli in a New York court for having conspired to launder $28 million as a result of bribes paid by Odebrecht, the Public Ministry (MP) traces the route that will continue to introduce this information to the process followed in Panama.

 Attorney General , Javier Caraballo , met Monday, May 23, with Agustín Almario Castillo, Senior Prosecutor for International Affairs, and with Mahmad Daud Hasan, Senior Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, to analyze the topic. Both were present at the trial on Friday, May 20.

This new evidence, as explained in the Public Ministry, could be presented as extraordinary evidence in the trial of the case, a procedure that is scheduled to be held from July 18. Mechanisms to recover money from the collection of bribes in exchange for millionaire contracts for state works are also analyzed.

The confession
On Friday, May 20, in the middle of the trial, Sean Hecker, a lawyer for Ricardo Alberto Martinelli, told Judge Raymond Dearie the following: “The two brothers did not seek to belong to a criminal enterprise, nor did they think of them. His father asked for them."

He then added that “when they found out, because of the amount of money, they decided to cooperate with the justice system, because they knew that this was not right. It was they themselves who took the case to the [US] government.

You will understand that it is not easy to go talk to the United States government about your own father.” "What they did was because the father asked them to," he said.

While James McGovern, the lawyer for Luis Enrique Martinelli also pointed to the father: “He [Luis Enrique] began to do what his father said and opened the [bank] accounts. But once he understood that the origin of the funds was illegal, he went to the government, spoke, gave information, handed over the money and notified his father”.

Ricardo Martinelli is one of those called to trial in this process. He is accused of allegedly committing the crime of money laundering.

The former  Attorney General and former independent deputy Ana Matilde Gómez said that the confessions that emerged in New York "definitely" strengthen the case of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. “Hopefully they will manage to bring to the Panamanian file all that is pertinent from those statements or other evidence to properly incorporate them into the file or at least complement their arguments.”

  Harry Díaz, said that, the country must be vigilant so that the Judicial Branch assigns competent and incorruptible judges so that "the mockery carried out by white-collar criminals, manipulating justice, is not repeated."

Alvin Weeden, who in 2015 filed the complaint that motivated the Public Ministry to open the process for the payment of bribes in Panama, said that regardless of the process that is in the Third Liquidator Court of Criminal Cases, the Public Ministry can open a new process.

The president of the Human Rights Commission of the National Bar Association, Carlos Herrera Morán, estimated that what happened in New York "is the best evidence that Panamanian justice can obtain of the existence of illegal acts committed by former President Martinelli" .

Herrera Morán, who sued Martinelli in the puncture case, said that this evidence can be used in all open proceedings against Martinelli and that his defense could do little to refute it.

The lawyer David Montenegro, former director of the Administrative Career, said: "It is the duty of the Public Ministry to request the cooperation of the New York Prosecutor's Office to evacuate all the evidence that is necessary so that the people and companies that participated in the corruption scheme pay the consequences." According to Montenegro, "it was evident in the desperate pleas for mercy of both lawyers, the undoubted involvement of Ricardo Martinelli in the case."

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/sentencing-of-martinelli-brothers-gives-new-impetus-to-odebrecht-case

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Martinelli brothers request move to low-security jail

Posted 26/05/2022

The defense attorneys of the brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares requested through a letter to Judge Raymond Dearie to be transferred to a lower-security prison, after being sentenced on Friday, May 20, to 36 months in prison for money laundering of bribes paid by the Odebrecht company.

The brothers are currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, and are asking to be transferred to a low-security facility in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.

According to the lawyers, the prison in which the Martinelli Linares are held has poor conditions and they spend around 22 hours locked up.

Confiscation of assets
It was also known this Thursday, May 26, that Judge Dearie ordered the confiscation of the assets of the brothers.

The United States Department of Justice requested to confiscate $18.8 million and all the resources linked to two bank accounts in their names in Switzerland.

In addition to the $18.8 million, the brothers will also lose the immigration bond they had posted for just over a million dollars, another $697,000 that was withheld from the account of a Martinelli Linares attorney, as well as $1.4 million from a trust fund. collateral created after the sale of a property in Miami linked to them. Another $679,000 deposited in banks is added to the list.

During the reading of the sentence, both brothers pointed to their father, former president Ricardo Martinelli, as the person who ordered them to receive the bribes.

In addition to the 36-month sentence, the Martinelli Linares must pay a fine of $250,000 and spend two years on supervised release.

Judge Dearie announced the sentence, much less than the 9 to 11 years requested by the prosecution, which accused them of receiving $28 million in bribes from the Brazilian multinational, of which $19 million had passed through US accounts.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-brothers-request-move-to-low-security-jail

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Martinelli reaction to sons’ sentence  “cynical and shameless”

Posted 28/05/2022

The singer-songwriter Rubén Blades  has described former president Ricardo Martinelli’s reaction to the 36-month prison sentence handed down last week in New York to Luis Enrique and Ricardo Martinelli Linares as “cynical and shameless”

The two convicted confessed to having received and laundered $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht, for the benefit of a "close relative" who turned out to be their father

"Ricardo Martinelli’s office released a statement stating that the father's concern was always to get the defense attorneys to do the best possible job 'under the circumstances and that is why he was satisfied with their work, which seems cynical to me and shameless attempt to put a positive spin on what is clearly a disaster: two sons imprisoned for serving as intermediaries for the father's corruption," Blades wrote in a brief titled " About the ruling of May 20, 2022, and  Martinelli ”, posted on rubenblades.com.

He added that it is likely that there is already a "sealed indictment" against the former president, his accomplices, former ministers "and his entire financial structure", awaiting the "right moment" to be publicly announced by the US authorities.

Seeking armor
Martinelli did not attend the children's trial and remained in Panama at all times, a country that, by constitutional mandate, does not extradite its nationals. For all this, Blades anticipates that the former president would be looking for "some type of armor", even through an eventual alliance with the PRD.

Blades is surprised that Martinelli has not explained to the country how his sons got help from his cabinet ministers to commit the crimes or why he has been publicly identified as the corrupt recipient of Odebrecht bribes.

He also anticipated that Martinelli and his companies, partnerships, and associates would be included in the US Treasury Department's Clinton List.

The United States prohibits its citizens and companies from carrying out financial or commercial transactions with anyone who is listed on Clinton.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-reaction-to-sons-sentence-cynical-and-shameless

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The new jail  routine for Martinelli's sons

Posted 29/05/2022

According to the lawyers of Luis and Ricardo Martinelli Linares, their conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn are "inhumane", locked up for up to 22 hours a day, and spending several days before taking a bath. But things will improve now that they have been sentenced since they will be transferred to a low-security male detention center in Allenwood, Pennsylvania reports  La Prensa. Currently, it houses 1,018 adult detainees, spread over a field with several housing units; It is a kind of residential complex. Everything seems quite peaceful there: they will start their days at 5:00 am; breakfast will be ready from 6:00 a.m., and they must have their beds made by 7:30 a.m.

 Monday through Friday, lunch is served from 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and dinner starts at 4:00 pm, with options low in sugar, fat, and sodium, as in all American prisons.

On weekends and holidays, there is brunch. From 7:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., inmates perform some work in the prison (based on their experience, education, and skills) and are paid between $0.23 and $1.35 per hour, which is deposited in a trust fund or can be used them at the commissary, up to a maximum of $320 per month. There are also hours for the gym, religious services, psychologist, educational and drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, barbershop, and pottery, painting, or music classes, among other amenities.

In Allenwood, each detainee has permission to speak on the phone for up to 300 minutes a month, all communications may be recorded - except those with their lawyers - and they may not deal with business issues, threats, extortion or any other matter. of the law, which will probably make it difficult for the list of their future interlocutors -no more than 30- to include the close relative who, according to themselves, encouraged them to commit crimes.

Something similar will happen with electronic communications. They will not be able to exchange messages with victims, witnesses, agents, and "any other person linked to their criminal history." The correspondence will be inspected and that which threatens the security and order in the prison, or is related to personal business and illicit activities, will not be delivered to them and could lead to criminal charges.

They will be able to receive between 6 to 12 visits a month, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-new-jail-routine-for-martinellis-sons

[Moderator_03]

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Martinelli's sons will be released from US jail in January 2023

Posted 16/08/2022

The brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, sons of former President Ricardo Martinelli will be released on January 25, 2023, as revealed by the technical files of the two convicts from the United States Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons.

The Martinelli Linares pleaded guilty to having laundered $28 million that the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht paid in exchange for contracts with the Panamanian State. The money received by the brothers would have been intended to benefit "a close relative and high-ranking official" of the Panamanian government. Later, Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique confessed to Judge Raymond J. Dearie that they acted on the orders of their father.

On May 20, 2022, Judge Dearie, head of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, sentenced them to pay 36 months (3 years) in prison and two years of supervised release, and to pay a $250 thousand fine.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelliamp039s-sons-will-be-released-from-us-jail-in-january-2023-1

[Moderator_03]

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Martinelli sons nearing end of jail term

Posted 01/01/2023

The  two sons of  former president Ricardo Martinelli who are currently imprisoned in the United States, are set to be released in January and will be heading to Panama to face trial.

The brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, posted release bonds in Panama for an amount of $7 million each, in order to avoid being preventively detained for their links to the Odebrecht and Blue Apple cases.

The information was confirmed to La Prensa both by the Judicial Branch and by a member of the legal team of the former, who - like his children - is also called to trial for the bribes that Odebrecht confessed to having paid in Panama.

Sources from the Judicial Branch reported that the Public Prosecutor's Office has already been notified of the consignment of the bonds and has filed an opposition brief, an appeal that must be resolved by the Third Settlement Court for Criminal Cases, in charge of Baloisa Marquínez.

The sources explained that in the Odebrecht case, they were granted a bond of $2 million each. In the case of Blue Apple, the bail for each one is for $5 million. In both processes, the alleged crime of money laundering is pursued.

Roniel Ortiz, from Martinelli’s legal team, confirmed that the former president's children posted the bonds that would allow them to be present at the Odebrecht bribery trial, from August 1 to 18, 2023, and, with alternate dates from September 27 to October 17.

There is still no date for the  Blue Apple trial since there are pending appeals.

Ortiz explained that bail allows whoever is charged in a judicial process to remain free to face the various procedures that must be carried out, without restricting their freedom.

Release date
The brothers will be released on January 25, after having served a 36-month prison sentence (which was reduced by 15%), after they pleaded guilty to having conspired to launder $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht, using the US financial system. According to US authorities, these bribes benefited "a close relative and senior official" of the Panamanian government. Shortly after,  the brothers confessed that they acted on direct orders from their father.

Once the Martinelli brothers are released, they should return to Panama, since, although part of their sentence there includes two years probation, both lack immigration status that allows them to remain on US soil.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-sons-nearing-end-of-jail-term

[Moderator_03]

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Lifting of arrest warrants for Martinelli brothers denied

Posted 16/01/2023

The Second Settlement Court for Criminal Cases issued two rulings in which the preventive detention order is maintained and another referring to the detention for extradition purposes for the brothers Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares in the cases called Odebrecht and Blue Apple, in both processes they are pointed out for the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering.

The legal defense of the children of former President  Ricardo Martinelli, led by lawyer Carlos Carrillo, had requested the suspension of both arrest warrants.

A statement from the Judicial Branch said that the Court decided that " it is not feasible to annul the aforementioned preventive detention order against these two people, since it has been reviewed and debated extensively at the time of resolving what concerns the requests for release bonds, which were even raised on appeal, in compliance with the principle of double instance; therefore, it proceeded to reject the said request outright".

Regarding the suspension of the arrest warrant for the purposes of extradition of the Martinelli Linares brothers -detained for another cause in the United States- the court indicated that to date, the Court has not formalized the corresponding procedure, therefore it cannot be left without effect "an act not deployed" so it is inappropriate

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/lifting-of-arrest-warrants-for-martinelli-brothers-denied

[Moderator_03]

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Martinelli brothers will exit US jail Wednesday to face Panama justice

Posted 23/01/2023

The brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli will arrive at the Tocumen International Airport, Panama, on Wednesday, January 25 at 8:00 pm, reports La Estrella from sources linked to the legal proceedings.

They will have completed the sentence imposed by the judge for the Eastern District of New York when they pleaded guilty to having used the financial system of the United States to transfer approximately $28 million product of bribes from the construction company Odebrecht, to what which the prosecution identified as a high-ranking official.

In front of the judge, the brothers confessed to having acted on orders from their father, the former President of the Republic (2009-2014).

The judge sentenced them to 36 months in prison and two years of supervised release. They will travel on a commercial line escorted by agents from the Immigration and Customs Department (ICE) who will process their deportation to Panama and deliver the respective documentation to Immigration personnel and the Judicial Investigation Directorate where the brothers will be notified about the cases they have pending in Panama where their lawyers have already cleared the way to avoid their entry into prison.

They each posted a $7 million bond, due to the links in the cases that are pending with the Panamanian justice system, Blue Apple and Odebrecht. In both files, they are accused of money laundering.

In March 2020, the Second Superior Court of Justi revoked the initial decision of the Twelfth Criminal Circuit Court of Panama, which denied a request for a release bond that benefited them from the investigation that is being followed in the Odebrecht case.

Sources from the Judicial Branch confirmed to Estrella that the bonds are still in force and that "the only restrictive measures applied are the prohibition to leave the country and periodically appear before the court for signature."

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-brothers-will-exit-us-jail-wednesday-to-face-panama-justice

[Moderator_03]

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Ex-con sons of Martinelli  spotted in Buenaventura

Posted 28/01/2023

The mystery of the whereabouts of the children of former President Ricardo Martinelli has been cleared up. Witnesses told La Prensa investigative journalist Ronaldo Rodriguez that they personally saw them ride mules on the beach of the Buenaventura residential complex, in the province of Coclé, where their father has a mansion.

The brothers Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares arrived in Panama last Wednesday night, after serving a sentence in the United States for the Odebrecht case. Both pleaded guilty to conspiring to receive bribes, allegedly for their father, and confessed to having laundered at least $28 million which, according to Luis Enrique Martinelli's lawyer, James MacGovern, they did "on the father's orders." ”.

Rica Martinelli, the eldest of the former president's children, was seen on a mule, in the company of three other people, while they were driving between the Buenaventura mansions. Kike, the elder brother, was also seen at the Felipe Motta liquor store in Buenaventura, while his mother, Marta, was waiting outside.

Further charges
Apparently, returning to the country to take refuge in the luxurious house in Buenaventura was always the plan of the former president's children, who all three face money laundering charges in Panama for the same case: Odebrecht.

On June 23, 2020 –in the midst of the pandemic–, the lawyer of one of Martinelli's sons asked the Government for authorization –for humanitarian reasons– to allow a private plane to land in Panama that would bring his client and his immediate family back to the country, a trip that his brother, Ricardo Alberto, also tried to sneak into.

The brothers were received on Wednesday by their father at Tocumen airport, who, for this purpose, carried, along with his escort, security passes that allowed him to see his children in areas prohibited to the public.

 In turn, the Judicial Branch sent officials at night to notify the defendants of the proceedings against them, for which they had to post $14 million in bail to cover the two.

No reconciliation
According to publications on social networks, he could not see his children in Tocumen. The publications assure that the ex-convicts refused to see their father, while Martinelli assured the media outside that he was celebrating "family reconciliation."

La Prensa has no confirmation that the former president is in Buenaventura.

Rica and Kike Martinelli, who were cooperating with the FBI in 2020, fled the United States and tried to reach Panama on the aforementioned private flight, but encountered obstacles from the Minister of Health, Rosario Turner, who was fired by President Cortizo.

They were arrested in Guatemala and extradited to the United States, where they pleaded guilty to the aforementioned crimes.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/ex-con-sons-of-martinelli-spotted-in-buenaventura