The continuing story of Ricardo Martinelli, his family and trials

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Supreme Court grants appeal against Martinelli kidnap

Former attorney general, Kenia Porcell,

Posted 10/05/2023

The Plenary of the Supreme Court of Justice granted an amparo of guarantees in favor of the former attorney general of the Kenia Porcell, which revokes the decision of the Superior Court (March 4, 2022) on the admission of the civil lawsuit that former president Ricardo Martinelli filed her.

With the decision, all the proceedings that were part of the process are nullified, including the kidnapping action against the former attorney.

The lawsuit filed against Porcell was due to statements she gave to a media outlet on July 24, 2019, when serving as Attorney General in which the oral trial of the "punctures" case against the former president was taking place. He was subsequently found not guilty.

The ruling of March 28, 2023, has a presentation by magistrate Olmedo Arrocha, who began by explaining the role played by the position.

By holding the position of Attorney General, he maintains very special connotations as he represents the institution of the Public Ministry and society, directing investigations of crimes, exercising criminal action, defending the interests of the state, and providing international judicial assistance in cases specified by law.

"But, in addition, as a guiding principle of the Public Ministry is the accountability that implies the space for dialogue between public servants and citizens, in order to generate transparency and trust when showing progress, difficulties, and results in the exercise of their functions, with the limitations, of course, established by Law No. 6 of January 22, 2002, which dictates standards for transparency in public management and dictates other provisions" is indicated in the document.

For the magistrates of the Court, it is not a new fact that whoever represents the Public Ministry issues statements about certain investigations of national interest within the limits allowed by the Constitution and the law.

In addition, they state that it is not clearly observed in the original claim whether what the plaintiff is seeking is compensation for slander and libel or if it is aimed at a breach of respect for the presumption of innocence. This confusion increases with the reading of the facts of the lawsuit when information is introduced that accounts for the defendant's plea of not guilty.

The first conclusion reached by the Court in this ruling is that even though the defendant court has indicated in a novel way that the alleged statements made by the former attorney were in a personal capacity, it is evident for this superiority that the opposite is true since they were made within the framework of the investigation is carried out by the Public Ministry and by virtue of the functions that it carried out.

"And it is that it is difficult to entertain the idea that, in the circumstances in which the statements narrated in the facts of the lawsuit were given, the defendant was being interviewed as a natural person and not because of the status of an official".

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/supreme-court-grants-appeal-against-martinelli-kidnap

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Spanish prosecutor fingers Martinelli in $178 million bribery scam

Ricardo Martinelli campaigning for a return to the presidency.

Posted 08/06/2023

Former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli played a central role in the payment of $178.2 million in bribes during his government  (2009-2014) said the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Spanish Civil Guard on Thursday, June 8

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor of Spain forwarded to the Central Court of Instruction No. 2 of the National Court the case that, due to corruption and money laundering, the construction company FCC is being prosecuted for the works that were awarded to it during that period.

The UCO Money Laundering Group details the works for which Martinelli and his ‘circle zero’ demanded the payment of a percentage for each contract awarded by his government.

According to the report, the multi-million sum came from surcharges for the awarded works, as well as from inflating the prices of the steel used for Line 1 of the Metro, a work that the Brazilian Odebrecht built in consortium with FCC.

In addition to several Spanish executives, in the case are Mauricio Cort, a Panamanian lawyer who, according to the prosecution, acted as an intermediary and front man, and former President Martinelli, who was included as an alleged beneficiary of the bribes after the request submitted by the Foundation Baltasar Garzon International.

According to the report, the Spanish construction company would have met the demands made by senior Martinelli officials and "channeled the payment of these bribes through the so-called 'interlocutors' of the government, Mauricio Cort at first, and Riccardo Francolini.

In addition, it was appreciated that “clearly there was a whole corruption scheme. "The facts investigated far exceed a merely occasional action."

In addition to the millions paid by FCC, which in the financial network ended up in bank accounts in Switzerland and Andorra, the Spanish Civil Guard also tracked the bribes paid by two other contractors.

The investigation offers details of the transfers that originally originated from the contractors to be later laundered by intermediary companies and "supposed loans", and end up paying for the purchase and remodeling of a luxurious apartment in Madrid negotiated by Ricardo Martinelli.

The report is explicit when pointing out that "to the detriment of the Panamanian public treasury" millions were paid to the "members of the corrupt scheme" made up of "Martinelli and the zero circle" and that one of the ways of generating funds was "the realization of addendums to the works contracts and the acceptance of surcharges”, signed by Minister Federico Suárez.

The report closely monitors dozens of bank transfers that move from companies controlled by the companies, to later move to the offices of the two lawyers and end up in European bank accounts whose final owners turn out to be members of the Martinelli family.

Luxury Apartment & yachts 
 In the investigation carried out by the UCO, details of the transfers that originally originate from the contractors are offered, to be later laundered by intermediary companies and "alleged loans", and end up paying for the purchase and remodeling of a luxurious apartment in Madrid negotiated by Ricardo Martinelli.

The financial trail left by payments made by the contractors also appears and which, after the laundering of assets, are used for two ships that were acquired by Martinelli.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/spanish-prosecutor-fingers-martinelli-in-178-million-bribery-scam

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Supreme Court denies Martinelli’s Blue Apple appeal

Posted 15/06/2023

The plenary session of the Supreme Court did not accept an appeal of constitutional guarantees presented by the defense of Ricardo Martinelli against a decision of the Third Liquidating Court that did not admit a series of evidence within the process for alleged money laundering through the Blue Apple Society.

Under the presentation of magistrate Cecilio Cedalise, the Court did not admit the protection of guarantees presented by the lawyer Luis Eduardo Camacho González.

Camacho González filed the appeal against the evidence order admitted by the second judge for criminal cases, Baloisa Marquinez, and that will be debated in the trial to be held on July 10.

Previously, in January of this year, the First Court of Justice also rejected Camacho González's protection of guarantees against the decision taken by Judge Marquínez.

On November 16, 2021, Judge Baloisa Marquínez decided to call two defendants to trial for the crime against public administration, in the form of server corruption; 11 people for the illegal association, while 26 investigated must answer for the crime against the economic order in the form of money laundering.

This investigation, which consists of 352 Volumes, began on October 30, 2017, and is related to an alleged corruption network made up of officials, businessmen, and lawyers, who allegedly requested commissions from contractors for the award of bids with the State.

JAILED SECRETARY 
For this reason, on March 13, Judge Marquinez sentenced Adolfo Chichi De Obarrio, former private secretary of former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli to 120 months in prison.

De Obarrio's trial was held separately from the rest of the defendants for being a fugitive from justice, so in his case a procedural rupture was issued and the case progressed more quickly.

In this process, in addition to the brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, there are also Joaquín Rodríguez, former manager of Factor Global Inc, Federico Barrios, legal representative of Blue Apple, the former Ministers of Public Works, Jaime Ford and Federico Suárez, among others.

During the investigation opened in 2017, the prosecution recovered $33 million. The patrimonial damage caused to the State was estimated at $78.3 million.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/supreme-court-denies-martinellis-blue-apple-appeal

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Martinelli offered thousands to DGI driver for info  on tax probe

Posted 05/07/2023

State security agents are carrying out investigations into the confessions of a driver of the head of the General Directorate of Revenues (DGI) , Publio De Gracia, who would have been approached by former President Ricardo Martinelli to obtain information about investigations carried out on companies linked to the former president, for alleged tax evasion reports La Prensa.

Rafael Venicio Guerrero, a DGI driver assigned to De Gracia's office, who -according to his testimony- was contacted by Tomás Martinelli, nephew of the former president and linked to Importadora Ricamar, SA (Irisa), owner of the Super chain 99.

Tomás Martinelli is also a member of the Tribunal de Honor y Disciplinary de Realizando Metas, (RM) the party founded and chaired by his uncle Ricardo.

The information was confirmed by De Gracia in an interview with La Prensa, who was very cautious in his statements,  so as not to compromise the investigation for alleged tax fraud that is carried out against companies linked to the former president. Later, the director expanded on these explanations in a tweet.

De Gracia stressed that he left the issue in the hands of the security agencies, as soon as he found out what had happened with his driver.

De Gracia said he is collaborating with foreign authorities in various investigations into tax fraud, so he decided to give priority to his local investigators on this issue, by informing them of what happened.

The director of the DGI explained that his driver told him about two months ago that he was approached by Tomás Martinelli and taken to an office in Monte Oscuro, which is now believed to be the main headquarters of Super 99, although De Gracia said he is unaware exactly where they took him.

According to the driver's version, at that meeting, he received an offer of "thousands of dollars" in exchange for information about the proceedings being carried out by his boss. According to him, the former president himself participated in the meeting.

Other sources consulted by La Prensa said that the State security agencies asked the driver a series of questions about the events narrated and that he answered them all. On this subject, De Gracia said he did not know about it, in order not to cloud the investigation into tax fraud.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-offered-thousands-to-dgi-driver-for-info-on-tax-probe

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Central American Parliament distorted – Business group

Posted 13/08/2023

There is a "distortion" around the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) with the "desperate, intentional and convenient use" that certain deputies make to shield themselves from facing national and international justice " far from the purpose for which Panama joined"  the regional body says Panama’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Agriculture (Cciap).

The business union, said Sunday, August 13, that, in the face of this type of situation, the country must rethink its participation in Parlacen.

The organization stressed that the privileges -both parliamentary and electoral- were not created to evade justice or as a letter of marque to be invoked whenever appropriate.

Instead, the Cciap points out that the criminal electoral jurisdiction was conceived to promote fair and equitable popular elections since it has its genesis in the need to protect candidates for popularly elected positions from the persecution they could be subjected to for part of those in power.

However, this figure has been deformed "to the point of becoming a shell of impunity behind which politicians and people involved in high-profile cases hide."

“The elements raised here make us emphasize that all these jurisdictions must be eliminated. Societies are called to evolve with the times; we cannot justify their existence by the ghosts of the past”, it is pointed out in the letter.

The pronouncement Cciap comes a few days after the swearing-in of Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares as substitute deputies for Parlacen failed.

On Friday, the Martinelli Linares brothers could not be sworn in, as was their wish, because there was not the necessary quorum:    The bench of parliamentarians from Panama will meet again at the sub-headquarters of the regional, on Monday, August 14. The Martinelli Linares brothers are called to trial for the Blue Apple and Odebrecht cases. The Blue Apple trial is due to start on August 22 and the Odebrecht trial on September 27.

Ex-cons
Both processes investigate the payment of bribes and alleged money laundering, a crime for which they were already imprisoned in the United States, after confessing to a New York judge that they used the financial system of that country to launder at least $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht.

If they acquire the status of deputies to the Parlacen, the procedural rupture of the processes could be decreed and, if so, their cases would be sent to the Supreme Court of Justice, which is the entity that is constitutionally in charge of investigating and prosecuting the deputies ( principals and substitutes) of the National Assembly and Parlacen.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/central-american-parliament-distorted-business-group

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US Ambassador refers to Martinelli’s sons bid to enter Parlacen

Posted 13/08/2023

The United States ambassador to Panama, Mari Carmen Aponte, made a guarded reference on Sunday to the attempts of the sons of former President Ricardo Martinelli to be sworn in as substitute deputies of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).

Although she was careful when referring to this issue, she indicated that " Parlacen will give the appropriate comments in due course."

Aponte pointed out that there is an "unwavering" commitment on the part of President Joe Biden's administration against corruption because it undermines democracy.

She stressed that corruption steals the resources that may be available to the people and that the communities receive the necessary education, and necessary health care, and corruption diverts those funds that are so important to solve the problems of Panamanian communities.

Aponte's statements were made during a tour in Bocas de Toro, where American doctors provide general medicine, dentistry, ophthalmology, radiology, and pharmacy services in the "Continuing Promise" program.

Last Friday, Luis Enrique Martinelli and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli failed in their attempt to be sworn in as substitute deputies, due to lack of a quorum.

The deputies will be meeting Monday at the Parlacen branch in Panama in the morning when they could conclude the swearing-in of the Martinelli Linares brothers.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/us-ambassador-refers-to-martinellis-sons-bid-to-enter-parlacen

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Another failed attempt to swear-in Martinelli brothers to bolt hole

 Posted 14/08/2023

Ricardo Alberto (Rica) and Luis Enrique (Kike) Martinelli Linares and their bodyguards left the Amador branch of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) on Monday, August 14  after another failed attempt to be sworn in as alternate deputies of the regional body seen by many as a bolt hole for politicians facing legal problems.

The fault was, again, the lack of quorum. The participation of at least 11 members of the Panamanian bench was needed to carry out the investiture session.

“There is no quorum right now. What happens is that lazy deputies don't want to work,” said Carlos Outten mentioning several by name. Outten is a member of Cambio Democratico (CD), a party founded by Ricardo Martinelli, the father of the wannabe members.

As happened last Friday (when there was no quorum to swear them in), Rica and Kike Martinelli entered the sub-headquarters through a side door to avoid f journalists. They wore black suits, masks, and sunglasses, and did not speak to the media. Luis Enrique carried a backpack. They arrived at 9:00 am and left through that same door an hour and a half later.

Dorindo Cortés, of the PRD, indicated that they will insist on the investiture and warns that it is not up to the Panamanian bench to assess or vote for or against the entry of the Martinelli Linares into the regional body, even if they have pending legal proceedings.

“If they meet the requirements, they raise their hand and they are sworn in,” Cortés said. And since 2019 they have a credential from the Electoral Tribunal that certifies that they were chosen as members of Parlacen in that year's election, well, according to Cortés, they meet the requirements.

If [the Martinelli Linares] have some kind of problem, of processes, Paralcen does not enter into discerning that problem," he remarked.

Dorindo Cortés acknowledges that there may be a certain "suspicion", since the Martinelli Linares would be sworn in with eight days to go before the start of the trial in the Blue Apple case, and 44 days for Odebrecht, "but I cannot allow myself to qualify that, because It doesn't belong to me."

If they formally enter Parlacen, what is called a procedural rupture would occur and the children of former President would no longer have to appear for trial on the dates agreed upon, since the jurisdiction to prosecute them would now lie with the Supreme Court.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/another-failed-attempt-to-swear-in-martinelli-brothers-to-bolt-hole

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Panama State sues Martinelli for $159 million

Ex-president Ricardo Martinelli

Posted 11/09/2023

The Panamanian State has initiated a  civil lawsuit against former President Ricardo Martinelli for moral and material damage caused by the events related to the Odebrecht case in which he is prosecuted and for which he has to face the trial on September 27 before the Second Liquidating Court of Criminal Cases. The $159 million lawsuit was filed on August 8, by the legal representative of the Ministry of Public Security in charge of Juan Manuel Pino who in the  Odebrecht case represents the State as plaintiff.

The document indicates that the civil action against Martinelli is largely due to the impact on the country's reputation at an international level, due to the placement of the Republic of Panama on the discriminatory lists of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The action is to claim responsibility within the criminal process followed by former presidents Martinelli, and Juan Carlos Varela (sued for 30 million)  and former officials such as Frank De Lima, and Carlos Duboy, among others, as alleged defendants of money laundering crimes.

The State demand is divided into the material damage considered to amount to $59 million and moral damage of $100 million, plus costs, expenses, and legal interests.

The facts on which the action is based are framed between the years 2010 and 2014, in which the plaintiff indicates that the Norberto Odebrecht Construction Company "made corrupt payments of more than $59 million s to Panamanian government officials and intermediaries who work for them in Panama to obtain, among other things, public works contracts".

They also highlight that between 2009 and 2012, Constructora Norberto Odebrecht agreed to pay $6 million to two close relatives of a high-ranking Panamanian government official, in connection with government infrastructure projects, with the understanding that in exchange,  the government official will ensure Odebrecht 's participation under the public contracts managed for various infrastructure works in the Republic of Panama.

" The introduction of the money paid as bribes by the Norberto Odebrecht Construction Company into the Panamanian financial system was done to cover up, hide and disguise their illicit origin, thus carrying out a crime against the economic order by Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal, in the form of money laundering ", is reflected in the civil lawsuit as evidence the criminal process for Odebrecht bribe payments by the Second Liquidation Court of Criminal Cases against Martinelli and 35 other people identified for the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering.

The Ministry of Public said: "In compliance with the provisions of Resolution No. 19 of February 14, 2017, by which the Minister of Public Security was authorized to file a complaint, on behalf of the State against whoever or whoever was responsible for the investigations carried out by the Ministry Public related to the alleged acts of corruption and crimes against the Public Administration and the Economic Order due to events linked to the Constructora Odebrecht, SA company, the Ministry of Public Security granted Special Power to Doctor Carlos Enrique Muñoz Pope to represent the Panamanian State in this process ."

In this context, and taking into account the magnitude of the damage caused to the public treasury as a consequence of the illicit acts identified in this process, it is intended to establish a historical precedent and compensate for the moral, material, and reputational damage of the Panamanian State as the main affected party, being the filing of civil actions derived from the crime, the ideal mechanism for this purpose.”

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-state-sues-martinelli-for-159-million

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Court confirms 10-year jail terms for disappeared spy  machine

Giacomo Tamburelli & Gustavo Perez

Posted 16/09/2023

The Superior Court for Settlement of Criminal Cases of the First Judicial District of Panama confirmed the sentence of 120 months in prison to  Gustavo Pérez, and Giacomo Tamburelli, for the loss of one of the spy machines used by the National Security Council (CSN) in the government of Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014).

The Judicial Branch reported Friday  September 15 that the second instance ruling of August 25, 2023 ratifies the condemnatory ruling of March 10, 2023, issued by the First Liquidation Court of Criminal Cases of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama.

The First Liquidation Court declared Pérez, former head of the CSN, and Tamburelli, former director of the defunct Social Investment Fund (FIS), criminally responsible as perpetrators of the crime against the public administration, in the form of embezzlement, to the detriment of the FIS, in the current Social Assistance Directorate (DAS).

The ruling also disqualifies former officials from exercising public functions for the same term that runs once the main prison sentence has been served.

The "Pegasus" machine that has been missing since July 2014 was acquired in 2012 from the Israeli company MLM Protection, for $13 million, was managed through the DAS, then directed by Tamburrelli

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/court-confirms-10-year-jail-terms-for-disappeared-spy-machine

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Court closes books on Martinelli’s million-dollar lawsuit against attorney

Kenia Porcell.

Posted 20/09/2023

The First Superior Court of Justice sent to the Third Civil Court the lawsuit that former president Ricardo Martinelli filed three years ago against former Attorney General Kenia Porcell which ended with a dismissal from the Supreme Court last May.

Because of the lawsuit, in which Martinelli claimed $1 million from Porcell, the former attorney had assets seized for up to the sum of $120,000. The former president alleged that his honor had been affected by statements made by Porcell in a radio program in July 2019, when she was still a prosecutor, in which she made statements about the wiretap case (a process by which the former president was finally declared not guilty).

La Prensa  traces the sequence of events:

1. In March 2020, Martinelli managed to get the Third Civil Court to order the seizure of Porcell's assets for up to $120,000. That kidnapping was carried out in July of the same year, in full confinement due to the covid-19 pandemic. It took place at the residence of the former attorney in Brisas del Golf. One of Martinelli's lawyers even walked around the house and, to suspend the proceedings, Porcell posted a bond of $144,000, which covered the value of the kidnapping.
2. After the civil kidnapping was carried out, Judge Ana Zita Rowe did not accept Martinelli's claim because she considered that she was not competent to carry out the process, since Porcell's actions were in her capacity as Attorney General. The person responsible for settling the matter, according to Rowe, was the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court.
3. Martinelli's defense appealed the court's decision and the case was sent to the First Superior Court of Justice, which ruled in favor of the former president.
4. Porcell then promoted constitutional guarantees against the decision of the First Superior Court and won. The Court agreed with Judge Rowe's criteria: Porcell's statements were made within the framework of the investigations into the puncture case and by virtue of her functions as Attorney General.
5. Complying with the Court's mandate, the First Superior Court informed the Third Civil Court that Martinelli's lawsuit has been dismissed.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/court-closes-books-on-martinellis-million-dollar-lawsuit-against-attorney

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Cases against Martinelli sons move to Supreme Court

Posted 27/09/2023

The cases against the brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, sons of former president Ricardo Martinelli, will be elevated to the jurisdiction of the Plenary Session of the Supreme Court (CSJ), the Judicial Branch announced on Tuesday.

The Martinelli Linares brothers were sworn in, virtually on August 16, , as substitute deputies of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).

The brothers, both in the Odebrecht and New Business cases, will leave the sphere of ordinary justice since only the Court can judge the deputies and vice versa.

In addition to this decision, the entity reported that the Second Liquidation Court of Criminal Cases of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama determined not to carry out the ordinary hearing for this case, scheduled to begin on September 27, because they are still in the stage of admissibility of evidence, which will be used during the trial of 25 citizens for the alleged commission of the crimes of money laundering and corruption of public servants.

In this process, the intervening parties have presented 36 briefs in which a series of testimonial, documentary, expert and report evidence is provided, and more than 100 witnesses have been adduced. The investigation, which has 2,829 volumes, began with a complaint filed on September 18, 2015. At the same time, the court continues to reproduce more than one million pages of the file to send it to the Plenary Session of the CSJ.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/cases-against-martinelli-sons-move-to-supreme-court

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Supreme Court in Permanent session to judge presidential runner

Posted 17/12/2023

Starting next week, it has been announced that a permanent vigil will be held in the Supreme Court of Justice, in favor of a presidential candidate convicted (in two instances) of money laundering, designated as corrupt by the United States government, indicated by his own children for having received bribes and been accused in the largest regional corruption case in history. Why didn't they have a vigil like this at the Eastern District Court in Brooklyn? If this movement believes that with its presence in Ancón it can exert some influence on the final result of a sentence, it seems that it is betting very high. But if they are in that, those who should organize to hold that vigil are the victims of the events for which this man has been sentenced to prison (that is, the population). Surely there are many more who demand justice than those who demand absolution for their guru. This is not political persecution; It is about each person answering for their actions and paying the consequences. If this candidate wants to clear his name, now is the time. When he was acquitted in the puncture case, he applauded the judicial system that he now wants to intimidate. If then, as now, he is so certain of his innocence, what is the fear?  -- LA PRENSA, Dec. 17.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/supreme-court-in-permanent-session-to-judge-presidential-runner

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Martinelli holed up in Nicaraguan Embassy seeking political asylum

Sidney Sitton & Eduardo Camacho at the embassy of Nicaragua

Posted 07/02/2024

The Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, Denis Moncada Colindires, sent a note to the Foreign Ministry of Panama that former president Ricardo Martinelli “requested asylum at the embassy of the Republic of Nicaragua in Panama, because he considered himself persecuted for political reasons and his life, physical integrity, and safety were at imminent risk.

Martinelli was sentenced to 128 months in prison and a fine of $19.2 million after being found guilty of money laundering, in the New Business case.

The Supreme Court of Justice did not admit a series of appeals presented by his lawyers, including an appeal for cassation.

After the decision of the Court, he must formalize his disqualification for the next elections. Martinelli's sentence was to become final on Friday, February 9, so his arrest could be ordered.

Members of the National Police are guarding the streets around the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama, in the La Alameda sector, in the capital, after confirming the presence of the former president at the diplomatic headquarters.

Nicaragua has granted asylum to other former Central American presidents and senior officials who face problems with justice, including former Salvadoran presidents Mauricio Funes (2009-2014) and Salvador Sánchez Cerén (2014-2019).

Recognizing that Asylum is an Institution of a humanitarian nature and that all persons may be under its protection, without distinction of nationality, the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua has decided to grant Asylum to Mr. Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal, Former President of the Republic of Panama," indicated the note from the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry.

The Nicaraguan government also requested in the note that Panama provide assurances for the prompt departure and humanitarian transfer of the asylum seeker Ricardo Martinelli to the territory of Nicaragua.

This is not the first time that Nicaraguan authorities have appeared in a case on behalf of Martinelli and members of his family.

The brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares were sworn in virtually on August 16, 2023, as substitute deputies of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) in a meeting held in Nicaragua.

 This swearing-in took place five days before the start of the trial for the Blue Apple case, where both are the main defendants. They are also involved in the Odebrecht case.

According to lawyer Shirley Castañeda, and Martinelli's legal team, they received information that by order of President Laurentino Cortizo, Vice President, José Gabriel Carrizo, and Roy Cortizo wanted to put the former president in prison to kill him and for that reason on February 6, they filed a criminal complaint against these three figures.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-holed-up-in-nicaraguan-embassy-seeking-political-asylum

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Martinelli claims “totally false” - Cortizo

Posted 07/02/2024

A complaint presented Tuesday, February 6, before the General Secretariat of the National Assembly, directly implicated President Cortizo Cohen and Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo. According to Martinelli, both would be seeking to imprison and kill him.

The actions taken by Martinelli came after the Second Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of did not admit an appeal, which sought to avoid a sentence of ten years and eight months for money laundering.

President Lorentino Cortizo replied on Wednesday: “he knows perfectly well that what he has reported is totally false... and he knows it.” Cortizo Cohen did not mince words to reject the complaint and highlight the lack of veracity in Martinelli's statements.

The complaint by Martinelli, who appeared in the National Assembly accompanied by his lawyers, comes in the middle of the electoral campaign for the May elections, which began last Saturday, February 3, and will last for 90 days.

“I am aware that there are people who want to be protected witnesses and work in the presidency. Right now they are afraid for their lives because they want to kill me,” said former president Martinelli.

He recalled that years ago when he was detained, they also tried to kill him three times.

Complaints against the President of the Republic and his Vice President are analyzed and heard, as established by the Constitution, by the National Assembly.

Cortizo's statements were made during a tour of the Ngäbe-Bugle region and the province of Chiriquí.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-claims-totally-false-cortizo

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Cowardly asylum move underscores amorality of ex-president

Posted 08/02/2024

During the last 15 years, Panamanian public opinion has faced a multiplicity of shocks linked to the actions and conduct of citizen Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal writes Rodrigo Noriega in La Prensa.

The decision to cowardly evade Panamanian justice, and invoke the right to political asylum in the embassy of the Republic of Nicaragua, is another gesture that demonstrates the amoral character of this character. Nicaragua has a dictatorship and is considered a pariah in the international community. It is a total disgrace for the noble people of that country that their government lends itself to this nonsense.

In legal terms, the conduct developed by former President Martinelli in the diplomatic headquarters of Nicaragua belongs to the typology called “diplomatic” asylum. This is a legal institution of International Humanitarian Law created in Latin America and which, today, is applied in all parts of the world. In 1949, the Peruvian leader Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, besieged by persecution by the government of his country, went to the Colombian embassy to request asylum and remained there for five years, until the International Court of Justice in The Hague in The Netherlands agreed with Colombia's lawsuit against Peru, to allow Haya de la Torre to receive authorization (a safe conduct) to leave the country. This situation inspired the 1954 Diplomatic Asylum Convention, which was signed by practically all Latin American countries.

Article III of this convention says the following: “It is not lawful to grant asylum to persons who, at the time of requesting it, are accused or prosecuted before competent ordinary courts (sic) and for common crimes, or are convicted of such crimes and for said courts, without having served the respective sentences, nor to deserters from land, sea and air forces, unless the facts that motivate the asylum request, whatever the case, are clearly political in nature.

“The persons included in the previous paragraph who actually enter a place suitable to serve as asylum must be invited to leave or, as the case may be, handed over to the local government, which will not be able to judge them for political crimes prior to the time of handover.”.

In other words, there is no legitimacy to grant asylum. If Nicaragua did so, it is in violation of this Convention and therefore Panama has every right to deny the safe conduct necessary for citizen Martinelli Berrocal to leave Panamanian territory. None of the crimes for which Martinelli Berrocal has been convicted are political, none of the crimes for which he has been investigated are political, and even when his extradition to Panama occurred, in 2018 from the United States, that was examined. argument, and an independent federal judge found that there was no political persecution.

The Diplomatic Asylum Convention itself and the international practice of democratic States give Panama the tools to face this situation. If the government of Panama makes the mistake of granting safe passage to convicted criminal Martinelli Berrocal, Article XVII of the Diplomatic Asylum Convention allows Panama to notify Nicaragua of its intention to request the extradition of citizen Martinelli Berrocal.

Another line of action is the one that the United Kingdom took with the government of the Republic of Ecuador when it granted diplomatic asylum to Julian Assange on August 16, 2012. Assange was wanted by the United States justice system for computer espionage and was found based in the United Kingdom. This country refused to give safe passage to Assange, so he remained at the headquarters of the Ecuadorian embassy in London until April 11, 2019, when the Ecuadorian government authorized the United Kingdom government to detain Assange.

This incident also exposes the possibility that a third country, such as the United States or Spain, could be interested in prosecuting former President Martinelli Berrocal for other criminal cases and therefore request his extradition to Nicaragua if Panama grants him safe passage.

The other convention
The propaganda machine of former President Martinelli will try to manipulate public opinion with an invocation of the Political Asylum Convention of 1933, to justify that he is being persecuted politically, in order to avoid the limitations imposed by the Diplomatic Asylum Convention and the practice of international. It is important to take into account that the Political Asylum Convention says in article 1 the following: “It is not lawful for States to grant asylum in legations, warships, camps or military aircraft to those accused of common crimes who are being prosecuted in form or who have been condemned by ordinary courts, as well as deserters from land and sea.

That is to say, International Humanitarian Law establishes as a universal principle that political or diplomatic asylum cannot be given to people convicted of common crimes. The Panamanian State has every right, in accordance with its domestic legislation and international conventions, to deny the safe conduct that former President Martinelli Berrocal needs to obtain impunity. It is very important that the current government applies disciplinary and other appropriate measures to the agents of the Institutional Protection Service who were guarding the former president and allowed this evasive action against Panamanian justice. This is a critical moment for justice and the country's democratic institutions. The democratic world will support responsible action by Panama by not granting safe passage.

The government of President Laurentino Cortizo must ask the governments of countries with influence over Nicaragua, such as Cuba and Venezuela, to intercede so that the Central American country expels Mr. Martinelli Berrocal from the diplomatic headquarters. The PRD government has the advantage of an ideological affinity and a common membership in the Socialist International that would allow it to leverage that international influence to avoid mocking Panama and the Panamanians.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/cowardly-asylum-move-underscores-amorality-of-ex-president

[Moderator_03]

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An escape ruse  and RM flushed down the toilet

No freedom to take Bruno for a walk.

 Posted 10/02/2024

The denial of safe passage to Ricardo Martinelli by the Government has been the best news this week. When this criminal formulated his strategy to escape and not serve his sentence, once again the country was left on tenterhooks writes Rolando Rodríguez in La Prensa.

It was a ruse planned days or perhaps weeks in advance, in perfect secrecy, since he did not want anyone to find out. Well, the shot went wrong. In a sensible act and in defense of our judicial sovereignty, the Government rejected the request for this subject not to stick his tongue out at us.

Well, it wasn't like that. Now, after mattresses, a toilet, a sink, a grill, furniture, and appliances, that place where he went will not stop being what it is from this moment in his cage.

 I don't care if he wants to make it gold, because, even if it is made of diamonds, it is a cage. But, knowing him, I am sure that at some point – not far away – he will go out alone to ask to be taken to El Renacer, which will not be made of gold, but, at least, he has company and ways to distract himself.

However, I also agree with the Government that he should not remain there, since "any action, statement or communication made by former President Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal from the diplomatic headquarters and has an impact or impact on the domestic politics of Panama, “Will be considered interference in the internal affairs of our country and, therefore, will generate diplomatic consequences.”

 I don't know who wrote this warning, but for the first time, I feel that there is a Panamanian in the Government who feels something for his country.

But, if the Embassy ignores it, it is evident that Martinelli made the worst calculation of his life by going there, since his stay is extended, he will be – in fact – imprisoned since he will not have the freedom to even take Bruno for a walk. But, furthermore, the time he is there will not be deducted from his sentence, and he makes me happy because at least this way he pays for other things that he got rid of... who knows how.

COWARDICE
It was his usual cowardice that led him to make this mistake. It would have been better to escape and ask for asylum in his supposed new homeland, but he did it from here, perhaps terrified of being captured outside of Panama. His mockery failed and now there is no grill or washing machine to satisfy him. He must be crying, because, no matter how much he ran, lied, pretended, danced, kicked, invented, defamed, and mocked all of us, justice caught up with him and hit him where it hurt the most - in his pockets and his freedom.

I thought these would be boring carnivals, but no. I advise you to take advantage of the days of lucidity that you have left because this voluntary confinement will tear you to pieces.

Meanwhile, I wonder what José Raúl Mulino, an instrument of Martinelli, will do: used and discarded for his purposes, Martinelli himself ended RM, and those who hope to gain from the push of that group lose their time and money, yes, he is someone he donates to his candidates. Ricardo Martinelli chose to live these last years of his existence in a toilet, and now – a victim of his insatiable greed – he has ended up flushing the toilet.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/an-escape-ruse-and-rm-flushed-down-the-toilet

[Moderator_03]

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Panama denies safe passage for Ricardo Martinelli

Posted 10/02/2024

The Foreign Ministry reported  Friday, February 9, that the request for safe passage for Ricardo Martinelli to leave the country to seek asylum in Nicaragua was denied.

It bases its decision on Article 1 of the 1928 Convention on Asylum and the 1933 Convention on Political Asylum. Thev article says that it is not lawful for States to grant asylum in “legations, warships, camps or military aircraft, to those accused of common crimes, who were properly prosecuted or who had been convicted by ordinary courts, as well as deserters from land and sea.

Martinelli was convicted of laundering public funds to acquire the shares of Editora Panamá América, SA (Epasa) , in December 2010, in the New Business case.

The sentence, of 128 months in prison and the payment of a fine of $19.2 million, was handed down last July by criminal judge Baloísa Marquínez and ratified by the Superior Court for the Settlement of Criminal Cases.

The Foreign Ministry said that the decision to deny the request was communicated to the Nicaraguan ambassador, Consuelo Sandoval Meza after she was summoned to the ministry.

During the meeting, the Nicaraguan ambassador was reminded of the obligation to guarantee that the headquarters of the diplomatic mission in her charge preserves the functions that it is called upon to fulfill, according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, for which "It should not be used in an incompatible manner."

The Foreign Ministry warned any action, statement, or communication made by the former president from the diplomatic headquarters that has repercussions or impacts on the domestic politics of Panama, will be considered “interference in the internal affairs of Panama and, therefore, will generate diplomatic consequences.

Home comforts 
Martinelli took refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy on February 7 after alleging that he was politically persecuted. Since then all kinds of household supplies have not stopped arriving at the headquarters such as air conditioning units, televisions, mattresses, family-size barbecue grills, water tanks food, and Bruno his pet dog.

He has not missed daily visits from his lawyers, family, and political supporters.

The Foreign Ministry reported this Friday, February 9, that the request for safe passage for Ricardo Martinelli to leave the country to seek asylum in Nicaragua was denied.

It bases its decision on Article 1 of the 1928 Convention on Asylum and the 1933 Convention on Political Asylum. This article says that it is not lawful for States to grant asylum in “legations, warships, camps or military aircraft, to those accused of common crimes, who were properly prosecuted or who had been convicted by ordinary courts, as well as deserters from land and sea.

Martinelli was convicted of laundering public funds to acquire the shares of Editora Panamá América, SA (Epasa), in December 2010, in the New Business case.

The sentence, of 128 months in prison and the payment of a fine of $19.2 million, was handed down last July by criminal judge Baloísa Marquínez and ratified by the Superior Court for the Settlement of Criminal Cases.

The Foreign Ministry said that the decision to deny the request was communicated to the Nicaraguan ambassador, Consuelo Sandoval Meza, after she was summoned to the ministry.

During the meeting, the Nicaraguan ambassador was reminded of the obligation to guarantee that the headquarters of the diplomatic mission in her charge preserves the functions that it is called upon to fulfill, according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, for which "It should not be used in an incompatible manner."

The Foreign Ministry warned any action, statement, or communication made by the former president from the diplomatic headquarters that has repercussions or impacts on the domestic politics of Panama, will be considered “interference in the internal affairs of Panama and, therefore, will generate diplomatic consequences.

Home comforts 
Martinelli took refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy on February 7 after alleging that he was politically persecuted. Since then all kinds of household supplies have not stopped arriving at the headquarters such as air conditioning units, televisions, mattresses, family-size barbecue grills, water tanks food, and his pet dog.

He has not missed daily visits from his lawyers, family, and political supporters.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-denies-safe-passage-for-ricardo-martinelli

[Moderator_03]

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"Threatened" Martinelli presented a sniper target - Ruben Blades

Posted 12/02/2024

The Panamanian singer-songwriter and activist Rubén Blades gave his on Sunday, February 11, about the asylum that the Daniel Ortega regime granted to former president Ricardo Martinelli, sentenced to more than 10 years in prison and to pay a $ 92 million fine in the New Business case.

“By requesting asylum in Nicaragua, the convicted Martinelli becomes a fugitive from Panamanian justice,” he stated on his digital blog.

Blades he decided to write those lines to try to provide perspectives about the former president's new move and help “not be deceived by false narratives” coming from those who support or oppose the asylum seeker.

“The fact that Nicaragua has granted refuge to a fugitive from justice makes that government complicit in harboring a convict who is fleeing the law,” he highlighted.

According to Blades, the international right to asylum was not conceived with that type of protection in mind, and the following is asked: Why did the declared corrupt Martinelli prefer the Nicaraguan embassy instead of seeking asylum in Italy, considering that he is also an Italian citizen?

“Perhaps it is because Italy respects the legal consequences of accepting an escapee like Martinelli. On the other hand, under an autocracy like that of Daniel Ortega, everything is possible, including a so-called leftist dictatorship providing unrestricted protection to a condemned capitalist. How much did the favor cost? Rest assured that it was not free, nor that it happened because the Nicaraguan government respects human rights,” he noted.

He also opined that "the convicted man" alleges as one of his main reasons for taking refuge in the diplomatic headquarters that President Cortizo "wants to kill him", but -Blades added- the first thing he does as a "fugitive", already inside the embassy Nicaraguan, is standing in front of an open window, as shown in the photograph circulating on social networks.

“If instead of a photographer it had been a sniper, it would have left[spokesman] Camacho  orphaned,” he added.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/threatened-martinelli-presented-a-sniper-target-ruben-blades-1

[Moderator_03]

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Martinelli’s Nicaraguan bolt-hole closed for business

Posted 15/02/2024

Without prior notice, the Nicaraguan embassy where former president Ricardo Martinelli is sheltering from justice was closed for business for its nationals on Thursday, February 15.

Passport renewal or withdrawal procedures are postponed, without further details for users.

At least 15 people showed up during the morning to carry out legal procedures but were unable to complete their processes.

The door to the diplomatic headquarters was closed. When Nicaraguans tried to enter to carry out license certification processes, notarial registrations, renewal or withdrawal of passports, they were informed through a small window that this would not be possible.

One of those affected commented that on Wednesday, February 14, she called the embassy to confirm that they would serve the public during regular hours, but upon arriving she was surprised that no procedure could be carried out.

Embassy officials told her that it was a last-minute decision, without going into details.

Since February 7, Martinelli has been in the Nicaraguan Embassy, after the Daniel Ortega regime granted him asylum.

Martinelli, who receives visits from family members, lawyers, politicians, and allied journalists, has remodeled the Nicaraguan diplomatic headquarters, equipping it with televisions, furniture, air conditioners, water pumping systems, and family-sized barbecues.

The government of Panama has denied safe passage for the former president to leave Panamanian territory.

Martinelli is sentenced to more than 10 years in prison and to pay a $92 million fine in the New Business case, but he requested asylum claiming political persecution.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinellis-nicaraguan-bolt-hole-closed-for-business

[Moderator_03]

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Electoral Tribunal still awaiting documentation of Martinelli’s jail term

The waiting ET judges.

Posted 20/02/2024

The Electoral Tribunal (TE) reported that it has not yet received the documentation from the Judicial Branch regarding the conviction for money laundering of Ricardo Martinelli in the New Business case.

Therefore, the entity is obliged to recognize Martinelli as a presidential candidate of the Realizing Goals (RM) and Alianza parties reports La Prensa.

This has created uncertainty “about the electoral implications of the conviction against the candidate.”

“Once this documentation arrives, the Electoral Court, expeditiously and in compliance with due process, will rule on the matter,” said the president of the TE, Alfredo Juncá, in a message posted on social networks, in which he is seen along with judges Eduardo Valdés and Luis Guerra.

Martinelli's candidacy has already given the TE several headaches, since the Supreme Court decided not to admit an appeal presented by the former president's defense, against the conviction imposed against him by criminal judge. Baloisa Marquínez, last July, of 128 months in prison and a fine of $19.2 million. That sentence was ratified in October by a higher court, therefore, his entry into prison is imminent.

Since the Constitution, in article 180, prohibits the election of a president or vice president of the Republic who has a sentence of five years or more in prison, it would supposedly correspond to José Raúl Mulino, his running mate, assume the presidential candidacy of RM and Alianza.

In fact, the TE authorized Mulino to take Martinelli's place in the presidential debate that was originally going to be held on February 21. The debate was postponed to February 26. Both decisions were widely rejected by different sectors, including six of the other seven presidential candidates.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/electoral-tribunal-still-awaiting-documentation-of-martinellis-jail-term

[Moderator_03]

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Court rejects Martinelli’s $20 million lawsuit against judge

Posted 21/02/2024

The Third Civil Court did not accept a lawsuit for $20 million in compensation presented by former President Ricardo Martinelli against the judge of the Superior Court for Settlement of Criminal Cases, Manuel Mata Avendaño.

Mata was the speaker of the appeal that Martinelli and other defendants accused of money laundering presented against the conviction handed down by criminal judge Baloisa Marquínez, in the New Business case. The Superior Court of Liquidation confirmed the judge's decision, which for Martinelli means a sentence of 10 years and 8 months in prison and the payment of a fine of $19.2 million.

In his civil lawsuit, the former president questioned that Mata granted each of the defense attorneys a period of 15 simultaneous (and not consecutive) days to present an appeal in the New Business case.

A press release from the Judicial Branch specifies that civil judge Nelson Riquelme considered that the claim presented by Martinelli is inadmissible in the civil sphere and that it should be processed in the administrative litigation sphere in the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court (CSJ).

In addition to being a judge in the Superior Liquidation Court, Mata is a substitute for Judge Ariadne García in the Criminal Chamber of the CSJ.

Judge Riquelme specifies that, because he belongs to the ordinary civil jurisdiction, he lacks jurisdiction to hear the lawsuit filed by lawyer Felipe Sánchez Castillo, representing Martinelli.

Martinelli's lawyers also filed a criminal complaint against Judge Mata for the alleged commission of a crime against public faith and illicit association to commit a crime, for allegedly having delivered the New Business file incompletely on a USB device.

Martinelli is seeking asylum in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, after alleging alleged political persecution and stating that his life is in danger.

The New Business conviction means that he will not be able to participate in the May 5 election, since the Constitution prohibits the election of a president of the Republic who has a prison sentence of five years or more.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/court-rejects-martinellis-20-million-lawsuit-against-judge

[Moderator_03]

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Nicaraguan citizens hit by fallout from Martinelli’s refuge in embassy

Martinelli skulks behind a window in the Nicaraguan embassy while citizens wait in vain for consular service.

Posted 21/02/2024

Hundreds of Nicaraguans who need to renew their immigration documentation or carry out legal procedures at their embassy, have been frustrated by the closure of services since former president Ricardo Martinelli took refuge in the facilities.

Meanwhile, Martinelli 's family, lawyers, and satraps come and go; even workers to do a series of renovations to ensure Martinelli’s comfort but the Nicaraguans themselves who need to do paperwork have to leave empty-handed and with the uncertainty of what will happen to their legal status in Panama  reports TVN.

Claudia López , one of those many who have arrived and left without answers, told TVN-2.com that she needs to obtain a work permit, because, although she has her ID, without it she cannot work, but her passport is defeated.

“The consulate is not open, they have a sign outside that says, ‘until further notice’. You call  phone numbers but there are no answers, they don't tell you we will respond on X day,” said López.

The procedures that Nicaraguan foreigners need to carry out are: renewal of ID cards, passports , among others. Even some who wish to leave Panama have been unable to do so because their passports have expired.

López confirmed that they feel helpless by the representatives of their government in Panama since no one comes out to speak on behalf of the embassy and give answers.

“For me to be able to work in Panama I need to have my permit, and for that Mitradel asks me to have an updated passport, unfortunately, my passport has expired and I cannot renew it because they are not assisting me,” said López.

According to Rafael Rodríguez , from the Association of Residents and Naturalized Citizens (Arena), in Panama there are about 22 thousand Nicaraguans , and many of them have approached these offices seeking help due to the lack of response from their authorities.

The concern of some of these people lies in the fact that they have until the end of this month of February to submit documentation to the National Immigration Service in order to obtain their permanent residence, but they were surprised that, upon approaching their consulate, the measures Security conditions are extreme, they do not give you information about your passport and they do not tell you when they will deliver it to you.

"This is due, according to them, to the fact that they are informed there that, because they are giving asylum to former President Martinelli, they have to maintain security in the perimeter and for this reason there is no type of delivery of documents at this time,"

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/nicaraguan-citizens-hit-by-fallout-from-martinellis-refuge-in-embassy

[Moderator_03]

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Panama complains to Nicaragua over Martinelli’s activities in the embassy

 Posted 28/02/2024

Panama’s Foreign Ministry called for “attention” to the Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs for allowing “the repeated statements and other actions” of former president Ricardo Martinelli, who barricaded himself in the Nicaragua Embassy on February 7, after the Supreme Court) did not admit an appeal against the 128-month jail sentence for money laundering in the New Business case.

In a letter dated  Tuesday, February 27, the Ministry Panama reminds its Nicaraguan counterpart that its diplomatic mission has the “unavoidable responsibility of not allowing the practice of acts contrary to public tranquility” and therefore, to ensure that the conduct of “Mr. Martinelli Berrocal remains within the established limits.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama rejects the permissive attitude of the head of mission, given the repeated statements and other actions that her guest, Mr. Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal, publicly carries out from the embassy in the Republic of Panama. This, even though other international norms invoked with the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry expressly prohibit this act,” the note reads.

In the document, the Foreign Ministry, headed by Janaina Tewaney, reminds Nicaragua that it “demands” full observance of the call for attention. The document also recalls the functions that the diplomatic mission is called upon to fulfill and safeguard, such as ensuring that the embassy is not used in an “incompatible manner” under the provisions of Article 3 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Foreign Relations.

Intimidating Messages
La Prensa reports that from the Nicaraguan embassy in open violation of international conventions, Martinelli continues to proselytize in the face of the general elections of May 5, 2024.

Day after day he receives his co-partisans, many of whom are part of the electoral offer of his party Realizing Goals (RM) for the May tournament. From the embassy headquarters, , he sends messages with political overtones to his followers; He asks for the vote for José Raúl Mulino, his running mate, and uses social networks without restriction to send intimidating messages to those he considers his adversaries.

candidate of the political pact between RM and Alianza, but on February 3, the Supreme Court announced that the Criminal Chamber did not admit an appeal filed against the conviction for the New Business case. Article 180 of the Constitution says that “anyone who has been convicted of an intentional crime with a custodial sentence of five years or more, through an enforceable sentence issued by a court of justice, cannot be elected president or vice president of the Republic .” Martinelli was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months and  $19.2 million fine.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-complains-to-nicaragua-over-martinellis-activities-in-the-embassy

[Moderator_03]

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Martinelli Newspapers Claim Clandestine Team Established to Harass Him

Posted 29/02/2024

The Security Council and the National Police set up a clandestine structure to reinforce the harassment against the presidential candidate Ricardo Martinelli, currently sheltered in the Nicaraguan embassy after denouncing that the government of Laurentino Cortizo was seeking to imprison him two months before the general elections, after a ruling manipulated by the Supreme Court of Justice reports the Martinelli-controlled La Critica and Panama America.

Police sources revealed that the first structure was the creation of a team of commandos with special training in assaulting buildings, taking hostages, and urban combat, supposedly commanded by Sergeant Pedro Valdés Mudarra, known within the Special Forces Unit as Cristiano.

Valdés was seen directing a harassment operation against the embassy carried out two weeks ago.

While the Security Council decided to reinforce the harassment with a clandestine structure led by three units of the telephone spying team: alias Yanina, alias Samuel, and alias Billy, the latter designated head of the illegal structure.

Both aliases Yanina and Samuel were assigned to tasks outside their duties, as they have participated in the creation of companies dated to finance clandestine activities such as renting houses and vehicles, purchasing spy technology, and even creating bank accounts, to reinforce the harassment work against the presidential candidate Martinelli.

Tomorrow the visible faces of this clandestine structure and the names of the front companies that members of the Security Council set up to harass the Nicaraguan embassy and Martinelli will be revealed say the publications.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-newspapers-claim-clandestine-team-established-to-harass-him

[Moderator_03]

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Ricardo Martinelli at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama City

Posted 05/03/2024

The former president of the Republic and now, also former presidential candidate of Realizing Goals (RM), Ricardo Martinelli, generated comments on his social media Monday afternoon at the Embassy of Nicaragua, the country that has granted him political asylum and where he is currently living.   "I have always said that in Panama there is no rule of law nor is the law or the constitution respected and without due process.  I repeat, I am innocent.  This case was made to disqualify me politically and remove me from the political race which is illegal. Everything will be known in the end and history will absolve me in the face of such injustice and judicial outburst not against RM but against the democratic will of an entire country that wishes to freely elect its rulers, not to whom they want to impose the government illegally," he published through his social network. 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/ricardo-martinelli-at-the-nicaraguan-embassy-in-panama-city-1