Panama: maximum sentence demanded for former president Ricardo Martinelli

Panamanian prosecutor Emeldo Márquez on Thursday (1) called for the imposition of the “maximum penalty” on former president Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) and 12 other alleged money launderers.

During his appearance before Judge Boloísa Marquínez, Prosecutor Márquez argued that Martinelli and the other defendants have been responsible for an “ongoing crime.”

According to the prosecution, Martinelli “is the author of the crime of money laundering because he personally and through an intermediary deposited and transferred money to a bank account under investigation.”

The former president has denounced on his official Twitter profile as the victim of a “manipulated political process” in which the prosecution makes “false” accusations.

Martinelli is accused, among other things, of buying the newspaper Editorial Panamá América (Epasa) with public money in the “New Business” case.

The prosecutor’s office claims that its investigations have made clear the connection between the former president, who “established contacts with contractors, contributed money” and was “a beneficiary” as a “holder of 60% of Epasa shares.”

Martinelli, who plans to run for the Panamanian presidency in the 2024 elections, is also charged with money laundering in the Odebrecht case, whose trial with 36 defendants, including another former president, Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019), is scheduled to begin next August.

Two of Martinelli’s sons served time in prison in the Odebrecht case in the United States, where they pleaded guilty to laundering $28 million and paying bribes to the Brazilian company “at the direction of their father,” the defense claimed.

Martinelli is also under investigation in Spain for alleged corruption involving bribes paid by Spanish construction company FCC in Panama and, in another case, for allegedly spying on a woman in Mallorca.

In January, the US government imposed sanctions on Martinelli (2009-2014), accusing him of involvement in “large-scale corruption.”

In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the former president of “receiving kickbacks in exchange for illegally awarded contracts” during his tenure.

These actions, Blinken said, “undermine the integrity of Panama’s democratic institutions.”

The sanctions, the statement said, also extend to his “close family members” and prohibit them from entering the US territory.

“Martinelli accepted bribes in exchange for the unlawful awarding of government contracts during his tenure as president,” making Martinelli and members of his immediate family “ineligible to enter the United States,” Blinken said.

News Panama, English news Panama, Panama’s former president Martinelli