Martinelli was found "not guilty" in the second wiretapping trial

PANAMA - In Brief 10 Nov 2021 by Marco Fernandez
Eight months after Ricardo Martinelli concluded his term as President of Panama on June 30, 2015, Panama Attorney General sent the Supreme Court five accusations against him for presumed wiretapping of political enemies, families, and friends. The Attorney argued the President was using sophisticated Israeli equipment financed with public money without the legal authorizations that the Constitution required. On September 27, the Foreign Ministry requested the extradition of Martinelli to Panama from the US, where he was living at the time. Nine months later, Martinelli was detained in the US, where he spent a year in federal jail. On June 11, 2018, the former President returned to Panama, waiting for a trial in federal prison. The defense of Martinelli alleged that his client ought to be judged in a special tribunal (not by the Supreme Court) because he was a member of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN). The trial started on March 12, 2019. He was declared non-guilty on August 9 and liberated immediately, but a district attorney appealed the sentence. A new trial (mirroring the previous one) began on July 22 and ended today with the verdict of not guilty, confirming the result of the first trial. This outcome fuels Martinelli's option for a second mandate (2024-2029). He is a very popular politician, ahead by a large margin of any other potential candidate so far.His news is gloomier elsewhere because his two sons will be extradited to the US from prison in Guatemala City: Luis Enrique, 39 following Monday, and Ricardo, 41, a few weeks later. They were detained last year in July, accused of money laundering using US banks and other illegal transactions related ...

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