The continuing story of Ricardo Martinelli, his family and trials

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli “cornered and desperate” – Varela aide

Posted on October 4, 2017 in Panama

President Juan Carlos Varela

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EX-PRESIDENT Ricardo Martinelli is “cornered and desperate,” says Panama’s presidential spokesman, Jorge González, after the latest habeas corpus filed in the United States by the ex-president to avoid extradition.

The filing repeated the “political persecution” mantra of Martinelli  and a core of his supporters, many of whom are facing corruption charges,

It says he is “victim of a vendetta of the president Juan Carlos Varela”, and that everything arose because Martinelli confronted him with “evidence” that he received bribes from consular officials when he was chancellor.

Gonzalez says that the differences between the politicians arose from the strong questioning that Varela made over “illegal titling” of a plot in Paitilla which had to be resolved in the Cabinet of  August 23  2011.

“At the end of this cabinet, Varela strongly questioned then-President Martinelli, which led to the rupture [of the political alliance of Democratic Change and the Panameñista Party] the following week, ” said  Gonzalez.

The appeal was filed by the attorneys of the ex-president by Marcos Jiménez, John Byrne and Jordi Carlo Santiago Martínez Cid on Thursday, September 28.

Martinelli is in jail in Miami, while awaiting extradition to Panama where he is accountable to the Supreme Court for the alleged commission of crimes against the inviolability of secrecy and the right to privacy (wiretapping). If found guilty he could face a jail term of up to 20 years.

This is not the first time that the ex-president has accused  Varela of taking bribes reports La Prensa.  Last June, his legal team presented documents to Judge Edwin Torres in which they said that Martinelli, on August 30, 2011, dismissed Varela from the Chancellery after finding him charging kickbacks of up to $25,000 to consulate officers. Martinelli, however, did not make any formal complaint.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-cornered-desperate-varela-aide

[Keith Woolford]

They found another ditch to try.

US judge in charge of Martinelli’s protection orders first proceedings 

EFE  Wed, 10/04/2017 - 18:33

In a brief judicial document, Judge Marcia G. Cooke of the Federal Court of the Southern District of Florida refers to the appeal against Martinelli’s arrest and against Judge Edwin Torres' decision to endorse his extradition to Panama and instruct each one of the parties to take a series of steps, in order to "resolve this dispute efficiently and expeditiously."
 
The applicant for the appeal, Martinelli, must provide the persons to whom the appeal is directed, namely US Attorney General Jeff Sessions; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the active head of the Miami Detention Center, Robert Wilson, a copy of his protection application and the order issued today by the judge.
 
In 14 days from today, the former president (2009-2014) must submit to the court the documents of acknowledgment of receipt of the other party.
 
Regarding Sessions, Tillerson and Wilson, the judge ordered that the response to the habeas corpus request be sent within 10 days of receipt of the documents submitted by Martinelli's defense, with an explanation of the reasons why the requests of the former president should not be admitted.
 
Martinelli's defense, who has been in detention since June 12, responded to Torres's ruling with habeas corpus submitted before Judge Cooke.
 
The appeal is based on a precedent created by the United States Court of Appeals in ruling against the extradition of a Canadian citizen requested on the basis of contempt, according to the legal team of the former president.
 
Martinelli's defense reiterated, as it did before Judge Torres, that Panamanian Supreme Court magistrate Harry Díaz completely ignored the accusation phase in the case against former President Ricardo Martinelli.
 
Two days ago, the United States Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed by the defense of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, with which his lawyers asked that his conditions of detention and imprisonment be reviewed in a Miami prison.

[Moderator_02]

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Judge rules  jailed Martinelli “in absentia”

Posted on October 13, 2017 in Panama

 

Martinelli . king of pardons

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EX-PRESIDENT Ricardo Martinelli who marked his fourth month behind bars awaiting extradition on Thursday, Oct 12,  is now facing another extraditable process after being declared  “in absentia”  at a Friday  Supreme Court hearing into the case of scores of pardons, including criminal offenses signed by  Martinelli on the eve of his departure from office.

Judge of Guarantees, José Ayú Prado, acceded to the request of the prosecutor Judge  Abel Zamorano for the declaration.

Martinelli is accused of the crime against the public administration in the form of abuse of authority. Some of the pardons  he signed for criminal offenses  have been declared unconstitutional

Although it is a public fact that Martinelli is provisionally detained in the Federal Prison of Miami which prevents him from being brought to court the judge gave t made the ruling as it was the second non-appearance.

The first was in May, when Martinelli was still free, although outside the country and did not attend the scheduled hearing on that occasion.

At the hearing, it was established that the former president was notified in three ways. One personally through a note that he received in prison. This note is covered under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty signed between Panama and the United States.

The second way in which Martinelli learned of the hearing was through a certified correspondence sent through the Panamanian mail system. And a third occurred through a private courier service that took the document to the Miami prison, and according to the prosecutor Zamorano, was received  by the accused.

The hearing was carried out at the request of the prosecutor Zamorano in order to declare Martinelli in absentia.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/judge-rules-jailed-martinelli-absentia

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli seeking deal with prosecutor

Posted on October 25, 2017 in Panama

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EX-PANAMA  president Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal,  approaching his fifth month behind bars in a Miami Detention center awaiting extradition is seeking to strike a deal with a prosecuting judge who could call for a 21-year jail term if the former ruler is found guilty of wiretapping.

He wants  to negotiate an agreement with Judge Harry Diaz, prosecutor of the unauthorized interception of communications from the National Security during his tenure says a note that Alma Cortés,  a Martinelli confident and Minister of Labor during his mandate (2009-2014), sent to Diaz and was received in the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) on Oct. reports La Prensa.

Cortés proposed that  Díaz to travel to Miami, for a meeting with Martinelli at the Federal Detention Center which he entered on  June 12, after his arrest by federal marshals near his mansion in Coral Gables.

The appointment is called “to explore the possibility of an agreement on the terms and conditions which would be agreed between the parties, in order to interview Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal, who is deprived of his freedom in that center.”

“On this journey, as you know, six[6] would go and lawyers of the complainants who would be aware of the negotiations, in order to ensure rights, “says Cortes.

The date of this meeting – according to the letter of Cortes – would be October. 16. As far as is known, the meeting never occurred says La Prensa.

On August 31, federal judge Edwin Torres certified the extraditability of Martinelli to Panama, where he is wanted for  the alleged commission of four offenses: interception of communications without judicial authorization; unauthorized monitoring judicial; embezzled by embezzlement, and embezzled from use. In his ruling, Torres wrote that “there are indications of reliability in this dossier of that Martinelli could have committed the alleged crimes, given all the evidence presented “.

The defense of the former president presented a habeas corpus in an attempt to avoid his extradition. The appeal has not been resolved yet.

Martinelli has never personally appeared in the trial, which is why the magistrate of guarantees Jerónimo Mejía declared him “in rebellion” and the full  Supreme Court ordered his arrest and requested his extradition.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-seeking-deal-prosecutor

[Keith Woolford]

13 hours ago, Moderator_02 said:

Cortés proposed that  Díaz to travel to Miami, for a meeting with Martinelli at the Federal Detention Center

Not sure what level of sarcasm to use here so I’ll go with “Give me a break!” ?

 

Edited October 27, 2017 by Keith Woolford

[Keith Woolford]

Priceless!

This 'Goodfellas' photo of Martinelli era officials and associates hanging out in El Renacer prison  appeared today on social media.

Left to  Right:

Ignacio Fabrega - former  Director of The Superintendent of Stock Market -  charged in Financial Pacific case

Gustavo Perez - former Head of Police and Security  - Sentenced for illegal firearms and charged in the Wiretap case

West Valdes - former operator of Financial Pacific - captured and deported from Dominican Republic

Jaime Ford - former Minister of Public Works - accused of enabling graft and corruption in highway contracts

Felipe Virzi - former Vice-President, former head of Universal Bank - accused of money laundering and corruption in multiple cases

David Ochy - operator of TCT - accused of graft, corruption, money laundering in highway contracts and New Business case

Frank DeLima - former Minister of Finance accused of corruption connected to Tocumen Airport concessions and Odebrecht case

Luis Cucalon - former Minister of Revenue - accused of tax collection graft - had to be kicked out of Hospital Punta Pacifica.

Tell me Felipe Virzi at the head of the circle doesn't look every bit like the The Godfather in his PJs and slippers.

The Superintendent of penal institutions says those responsible for the pic will be punished.

 

Edited October 29, 2017 by Keith Woolford

[Pederhaney]

Cucalon is still wearing his hospital ID bracelet...refusing to let go of the good times, I guess!

[Moderator_02]

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Coffee break for jailed VIPs

Posted on October 29, 2017 in Panama

 

photo-op or Photoshop?

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AN INVESTIGATION  is underway to check the origin of two photos said to be of a group of former Panama high rollers who once strutted through the corridors of power and are now incarcerated in the El Renacer prison serving time, awaiting trial or side-stepping their way through the court system.

The photos  appeared on social networks, on Saturday afternoon, October 28 including Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp,

Their authenticity has not yet been confirmed but Minister of Government Carlos Rubio immediately Tweeted that an investigation will begin through the General Directorate of the National Penitentiary System.

El Siglo cartoonist figured out why Moncada Luna was missing from the photo

In the two photos can  be seen former ministers Frank De Lima and Jaime Ford, former Vice President Felipe Virzi, ex-National Police Director, Gustavo Pérez,  the former head  of the Securities Market Superintendency, Ignacio Fábrega the ex-partner  of the Financial Pacific brokerage, West Valdés and the former head of tax collecting, Luis Cucalón,until recently in more comfortable detention in Punta Pacifica Hospital. Missing is former Supreme Court judge Alejandro Moncada Luna.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/coffee-break-el-renacer-prison

[Moderator_02]

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Boot drops for  Martinelli sons “criminal network”

Posted on November 9, 2017 in Latin America, Panama

 

Martinelli & Sons

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THE  “criminal structure” that operated in Panama to collect bribes from Odebrecht was headed by the two sons of ex-President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) said anti-corruption prosecutor Zuleika Moore on Thursday, November 9.

She revealed the information during the conclusion of the hearing at the Supreme Court to ratify the agreement reached by the Prosecutor’s Office with Odebrecht and its executives, including Andre Rabello, former representative of the construction company in Panama, to recover the monies taken from the State.

She listed several of Martinelli’ ministers, his former presidential candidate for the CD PartyJosé Domingo Arias, as well as a law firm of a current pro-government deputy and another collaborator of the ruling Panameñista Party as part of the network.

The  “effective collaboration agreement”, which establishes that Odebrecht will pay a fine of up to $220 million  and its executives and other officials will provide vital information for the investigations of the Prosecutor’s Office on bribes paid in Panama.

At least $40 million was paid by Odebrecht to the “criminal organization”, which worked “and works” in Panama, She said that the agreement allowed the recovery of information and “assets” through “search proceedings”.

She told  Óscar Carrasquilla the judge in charge of the approval hearing, that the agreement must be ratified because the collaboration has been “effective”.

Ricardo and Luis Martinelli Linares were the first “to approach” Odebrecht to offer “services” to “remove obstacles” in 2009, “even before the president-elect (Ricardo Martinelli) took office,” said the prosecutor.

She  based the statements on the detailed tests provided by the construction company, which she said, also gave information voluntarily dating back to 2007.”

Odebrechet arrived in Panama in 2006, according to data from the company, and is the main contractor of the Panamanian State, where it employs some 8,000 people and is currently executing  works that exceed $3, billion

The former ministers Demetrio” “Jimmy”  Papadimitriu, Jaime Ford and Frank De Lima, as well as the former presidential candidate of his Democratic Change Party (CD) José Domingo Arias, are on the list of the beneficiaries of the bribes read and explained by prosecutor Moore.

Also on that list are the banking executive and president of the NexTV chain Ricardo Francollini, the firm Rosas & Rosas, the pro-government deputy Jorge Alberto Rosas, the ex-consul Jaime Lasso and his daughter Michelle, linked to the Panameñista Party of  President Varela.

Lasso told the anti-corruption prosecution that Odebrecht contributed $700,000 as donations to the Varela campaign for the Vice President in 2009, which the Panamanian president acknowledged on Thursday warning that political donations are not a crime, unlike bribes, which are.

Prosecutor Moore said that the ex-Consul was “the subject of an investigation by  [Martinelli appointee], Attorney General  Ana Belfon,” who “decided to suspend the proceedings that had been initiated against Jaime Lasso and another  investigation against his daughter, Michelle Lasso.”

“We incorporate this documentation, which limits the current performance by the present prosecutor’s office, which does not hinder the processing before the competent authorities of the persons who could be benefited with these payments made by Odebrecht,” said the prosecutor.

So far, reports La Estrella  former President Ricardo Martinelli has not been directly mentioned as the recipient of an undue payment, which, as reported by the Prosecutor’s Office, was made through various channels, accounts, countries, companies and frontmen, all identified by Odebrecht.

Martinelli is in a Miami detention center, awaiting extradition. His sons have fled to an unknown destination and $22 million in Swiss bank accounts linked to them, has been frozen and helicopter and a luxury Madrid apartment have been seized.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/boot-drops-martinelli-sons-criminal-network

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli sons claim cooperation attempts rejected

Posted on November 13, 2017 in Panama

 

Martinelli sons center of bribery probe

Post Views: 187

THE TWO sons of ex-president Ricardo Martinelli who were named last week as prime operators in a criminal network soliciting and distributing bribes from the  Odebrecht construction company have issued a statement claiming their offers to cooperate with Panama anti-corruption prosecutors were rejected.

Swiss bank accounts containing $22 million   of companies they allegedly control  have been frozen and luxury real estate in Madrid and a helicopter have been seized

Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, , say they have been the target, of public accusations related to companies mentioned in the investigations. They have fled Panama and their present location is unknown.

The statement
From the moment we received the first information about these accusations, we have communicated our willingness to cooperate with the Public Ministry, making all the efforts to appear and face in the same conditions as other national and foreign persons, also investigated. by the Public Ministry. We do not ask for anything different, only equal treatment.

1. In July 2017, , we formally notified the Specialized Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office in writing of our interest in collaborating with the investigations and making ourselves available to provide the corresponding clarifications, which has not been possible until today, despite the fact that we repeatedly insist on cooperating and working with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
2. For many years we have developed commercial activities locally and internationally, without any conflict with the judicial authority of any country.
3. We have never been public officials, nor managed public funds, nor participated in government meetings. Our activities always took place in the private sphere.
4. We have requested that constitutional guarantees be respected and we were denied the basic legal conditions to expose and support our clarifications, which has been granted to other accused persons and national and foreign companies. Despite this unfavorable scenario, we are still willing to enter into a dialogue with the Public Ministry in order to cooperate.
5. We have been linked to money deposited in foreign accounts with which we have no relationship and, if we are given the opportunity, we can prove it.
6. Contrary to what has been falsely said publicly, we do not know Mr. LUIS EDUARDO DA ROCHA SOARES or Mr. OLIVIO JUNIOR RODRÍGUEZ, just as we have never had commercial or financial relations with Mr. RODRIGO TACLA DURAN. (Former Odebrecht Senior executives who have identified the sons as approaching the company and receiving over $50 million.)
7. Once the competent authorities finally attend our insistent call to collaborate and we are granted the legal guarantees provided by law, we will give clarifications that are requested.
8. We insist, we have the explanations to answer and refute the attacks and accusations that we have been subject to since the investigation began.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-sons-claim-cooperation-attempts-rejected

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli resigning from “Den of Thieves”

Posted on November 22, 2017 in Panama

 

Martinelli. sworn in on July 1, 2014 when Varela took office

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EX-PRESIDENT  Ricardo Martinelli who is approaching his sixth month behind bars, far removed f  from his luxury waterside Miami mansion with ample time to consider the possible consequences of being tried in Panama for illegal wiretapping  is looking at resigning from the Central American Parliament (Parlacen),  where he sought refuge when he left office and was sworn in as a deputy to the  assembly which he had labeled a “den of thieves,” But, like the man he admires,  Donald Trump, what is said on the hustings is not a promise of fulfillment.

The reasons why Martinelli would resign from Parlacen are according to his lawyer Sidney Sitton his rights have been violated in the Supreme Court and what is sought is to be the regular system using the new accusatory system by the Public Ministry, which could mean starting the two-year-old process from scratch.

According to Sitton, the decision has already been made by the former resident. Sitton  told El Siglo that in the next few days they will present a letter  to Parlacen notifying  the resignation of Deputy  Ricardo Martinelli from “the den”

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-resigning-den-thieves

[Moderator_02]

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Probes of Martinelli filed in grains scandal

Posted on November 23, 2017 in Panama

 

Ayú Prado

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JUDGE  José Ayú Prado, acting as prosecutor, has ordered the provisional filing of investigations of ex-president Ricardo Martinelli, and the deputies Vidal García and Sergio Chello Gálvez – from the CD Party for the purchase of grains with funds from the National Assistance Program (PAN), in the last government.

Ayú Prado says that, so far, he has not been able to gather enough evidence for a conviction or punishable appearance “, according to a Judicial Branch press release.

“If the introduction of new elements to this research is achieved, that facilitate the determination of the authors or participants, the reopening of the cause may be considered “, says the release

The First Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office initiated the investigations for the presumed crimes of money laundering and embezzlement, in contracts managed by Rafael Guardia, director of the PAN in the last government, for the purchase of grains. In his statement to investigators, Guardia stated that Martinelli was the one who gave the guidelines to award the contracts.

The prosecution compiled copies of the file. The complaint was admitted by the plenary of the  Supreme Court on September 17, 2015; Ayú Prado was appointed fiscal magistrate, while Jerónimo Mejía was named judge of guarantees.

Guardia stated that, in his telephone conversations, Martinelli always told him: “Do what Chici tells you “, referring to his private secretary, Adolfo Chichi de Obarrio, who assigned the contracts for the direct purchase of grains.

Mario Martinelli – brother of the former president- and several PAN providers are being investigated in the case. The whereabouts of De Obarrio, who fled the country is unknown.

Article 275 of the Code of Criminal Procedure states that the prosecutor may order the filing of the case, “if he has not been able to identify the author or participate or it is manifest the impossibility of gathering elements of conviction. “Your decision can be reviewed by the judge of guarantees,” if the victim requests it.” Reports La Prensa.

Ayú Prado came to court with Martinelli, who appointed him judge from January 2013, for a period of 10 years.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/probes-martinelli-filed-grains-scandal

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli sons rights appeal setback

Posted on November 24, 2017 in Panama

 

On the run while lawyers bombard courts

Post Views: 140

A SUPREME COURT  draft decision that said the two sons of ex-president Ricardo Martinelli had their constitutional rights violated  when  the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office asked banks for information about their bank accounts, has gone back to the drawing board,

Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares are under investigation for receiving bribes from Odebrecht.

Judicial Branch sources told La Prensa that  Judge Efran Tello, acting as substitute for Ángela Russo, stated in the draft  ruling that the Martinelli brothers  had their l rights violated because According to Tello, the prosecutor’s request “was not specific.”

However, magistrates Harry Díaz, Abel Zamorano and Oydén Ortega disagreed.  In principle, magistrate Luis Ramón Fábrega endorsed Tello’s arguments, but in the end, voted against.

The appeal is now in the hands of Díaz, who must present a new draft.

The prosecutor’s office is investigating the brothers for  money laundering because they allegedly received bribes from Odebrecht through banks in Switzerland.

The prosecutor justified that the information requested from the banks was “to verify the possible

commission of criminal offenses against the economic order, specifically the crime of money laundering of capital, so it is appropriate to perform the diligence that allows demonstrating or not showing the national banking system  has been used to launder capital proceeds of crime and” and   argued that one of the “most important ways for the verification of this criminal type

are the bank records in which  the defendants could keep, resources that help

confirm the facts that are investigated or simply discard them “.

Tello accepted the reasoning of lawyer Luis Eduardo Camacho Jr., who argued that the information requested by the prosecutor Tania Sterling was a fishing expedition since it was addressed to all accounts and banking movements of the Martinelli Linares.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-sons-rights-appeal-setback

[Moderator_02]

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Judicial lifeline for ex-president knocked

Posted on November 24, 2017 in Panama

 

Prado and Martinelli

Post Views: 181

THERE  WAS swift reaction to the report that Supreme Court Judge José Ayú Prado, acting as prosecutor, filed  a corruption investigation against  the man who appointed him, ex-president Ricardo Martinelli and two deputies of the party he founded and rules, Cambio Democratic (CD)

Off the hook with Martinelli in investigations related to contracts for the purchase of grains through the extinct National Assistance Program (PAN) are Sergio Chello Gálvez and Vidal García.

Ayú Prado alleged that so far they have not been able to gather “elements of conviction suitable to accredit a fact with punishable appearance. ”

Attorney Gilma Camargo, from the Center for Strategic Studies, said that for a long time the justice system has not been working. “What Panamanian people have to do is look for a way to go to international forums to find ways to blame the State for the violations, and for the corruption (…) “.

Juan Carlos Araúz, former vice president of the National Bar Association, said that “the time has come for the Assembly to submit [a proposal] for the derogatory of special judgments, for the existence of rules different from those of the  common citizen which has been the model that has caused too much damage to the institutions “.

“The investigation is not a conviction, it is an opportunity to strengthen the state.  (…) I would ask the President of the Republic to leave a legacy in matters of the administration of justice: propose the elimination of special judgments. ”

PRD leader Balbina Herrera warns that it seems that in this country there are two types of justice. “One for the one who has resources and another for the unfortunate one who has nothing.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/judicial-lifeline-ex-president-knocked

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli  promises social peace under CD rule

Posted on December 7, 2017 in Panama

 

Christmas in jail

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TWEETING from his cell in  a Miami detention center  where he awaits the resolution of his appeal against extradition, ex-president Ricardo Martinelli who faces multiple criminal investigations  totaling  scores of millions of dollars  said that it was time for President Juan Carlos Varela and his family  to face justice,  and the return of the CD party to office  would bring social peace to the company.

His message coincides with the secretary general of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Pedro Miguel González calling for a judicial investigation against President  Varela for the donations given by Odebrecht to the Panameñista Party.

González said at a Wednesday press conference that there are elements of conviction for the president to be investigated.

Meanwhile, Martinelli is just days away from marking six months since his arrest at his Coral Gables mansion and the prospect of spending Christmas  behind bars.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-promises-social-peace-cd-rule

[Moderator_02]

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Martyrs’ Day marks Martinelli Habeas Corpus Hearing

Posted on December 9, 2017 in Your Man in Panama

Post Views: 94

THE FULFILMENT  of ex-president Ricardo Martinelli’s boast/halucination that  he will return to Panama in triumph and that the party  he founded, funded and ruled will be returned to power, will  be tested on January 9 in a Miami courtroom when  Judge Marcia Cooke  hears his habeas corpus presented before the Court of the Southern District of Florida.

January 9, is known in Panama as  “Martyrs’ Day” and marks the events of 1964 when 28 people died during riots against the American occupation of the Canal Zone.  It is now recognized as a day of national mourning,

The Martinelli hearing  will be at 2:00 p.m. in federal building Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr., in Miami, where he has been  behind bars  since June 12 awaiting to be extradited to Panama, where the Supreme Court  wants  to try him for the unauthorized interception of Communications from the  National Security Council attached to the Presidency during  the last two years of his term (2012-2014).

The habeas corpus was presented on September 28 after another federal judge – Edwin Torres- endorsed the return of Martinelli to Panama, considering that there are “reasonable grounds” to suppose him guilty “of all or some of the crimes imputed to him, “given the wealth of evidence provided by the Supreme Court of Justice in the extradition request.

On October 2, the US Supreme Court denied a habeas corpus to Martinelli and had previously, rejected a request for bail.

Far from the luxury of his Coral Gables Mansion

He will have been confined to his cell for nearly seven months when he gets to hear whether he can plan for the triumphal return, or to hold court in El Renacer prison with other accused members of his previous administration. while waiting for trial with a potential sentence of up to 20 years.

Some of a shrinking band of CD loyalists will  see him as a martyr to “political persecution.”

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/columns/your-man-in-panama/martyrs-day-marks-martinelli-habeas-corpus-hearing

[Moderator_02]

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OPINION: Fugitives running for election

Posted on December 23, 2017 in Media Watch, Panama

 

On the run, mocking justice system

Post Views: 206

 

ALTHOUGH  they are being sought by Interpol and their whereabouts are unknown, the brothers Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares have been able to run for positions on the board of directors of the Cambio Democrático party. (CD) The internal elections of that group on January 21 would protect these fugitives  brothers until the month of February 2018 despite the fact that in the past the Electoral Tribunal  has already raised this type of exemption  from prosecution, there is a dislike in the community, which has been witness to how such legal institutions are manipulated

with the purpose of  repeatedly avoiding the action of the justice system. The whole nation must ask itself: why our electoral regime so permissive? It is inexplicable that people who are not in the country and are required by the law can be eligible for elected positions in a political party that is subsidized with our taxes. This type of hoax is what produces a National Assembly shaped by political hucksters. Let the repudiation of society make the difference.  LA PRENSA, hoyporhoy, Dec 23

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/features/media-watch/opinion-fugitives-running-election

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli last-gasp extradition hearing 

Posted on December 28, 2017 in Panama

 

Site of extradition hearing

Post Views: 267

 

Ex-president Ricardo  Martinelli’s  last-gasp attempt to avoid extradition to Panama to face trial on wire-tapping charges which carry a potential sentence of 20 years,  will be heard in a Miami courtroom on January 16.

It comes just five days before the Democratic Change (CD) Party holds its internal elections, with Martinelli seeking to remain as leader of the party he founded to further his political ambitions, and, judging by corruption investigations, his financial standing.

Judge Marcia Cooke, of the Southern District Court of Florida, will listen to the habeas corpus arguments presented by  Martinelli’s well funded legal team to prevent his extradition.

The hearing,  was originally scheduled for January 9, and the delay will ensure that the ex-ruler will reach his seventh month in the sparse cell in the Miami Detention Center, one block the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr., Federal court building.

Martinelli was arrested  near his  Coral Gables mansion on June 12, at the request of Panama’s Supreme Court which  wants him to answer for the unauthorized interception of communications from the National Security Council, attached to the Presidency, in the last two years of his mandate (2012-2014) with multi-million dollar snoop equipment purchased from Israel. The equipment and two of its operators have since disappeared.

The habeas corpus was filed on September 28, 29 days federal judge Edwin Torres- endorses the hand over of Martinelli to Panama, considering that there are

“reasonable grounds” to assume that the former president is guilty “of all or any of the crimes that are imputed to him … given the wealth of evidence provided by the Supreme Court of Justice in the request for extradition.”

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-last-gasp-extradition-hearing

[Moderator_02]

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Banks must give info on Martinelli accounts

Posted on December 29, 2017 in Panama

 

Martinelli sons have fled Panama

Post Views: 171

 

ANOTHER delaying tactic by the legal team of the sons of former president Ricardo Martinelli, facing investigation in the Odebrecht bribery case has been thrown out by The Supreme Court.  (CSJ).

It has given the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office the go-ahead  to investigate the bank accounts of Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares brothers.

In a November 29, ruling The plenary of the Court of Justice considered that the order issued by the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the bank accounts of the brothers in the Odebrecht case does not violate the constitutional principle of inviolability of private documents or the regulation on banking confidentiality. and it does not admit a protection of constitutional guarantees presented by Luis Eduardo Camacho González, representing the brothers. “We consider that the act attacked does not violate any fundamental right, in the sense of having been issued by a competent authority – Special Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office – explaining clearly and it specifies the reasons on which it supports the requirement of information to the banking entities that operate within the national territory”

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/banks-must-give-info-martinelli-accounts

[Moderator_02]

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Jailed Martinelli  “optimistic” on extradition hearing

Posted on January 2, 2018 in Panama

Post Views: 195

 

Ex-president  Ricardo Martinelli, who once boasted that he would return to Panama and cross the country in a  triumphant convoy welcomed by cheering supporters mimicking a parade by a former military dictator, could instead be returning in handcuffs to an awaiting jail cell to face multiple trials with potential lengthy prison terms if found guilty.

The way the pendulum swings will likely be decided on Tuesday, January 16  when he leaves the cramped Miami detention center cell he has occupied since his arrest on June 12.  That’s when he will  get   a US judge’s response  to an  Amparo opposing his extradition to Panama,

His spokesman and longtime cheer leader, lawyer Luis Eduardo Camacho, told the Efe News agency. on Tuesday, January 2  that although Martinelli had been affected by his stay in detection he is “strong” and “very optimistic” about the result of the habeas corpus appeal.

According to court documents, the hearing in which Martinelli’s lawyers will present the arguments of the appeal was postponed from January 9 to 16,  but so far that has not been officially confirmed says Efe.

Camacho said that the new date was set by Judge Marcia G. Cooke of the Federal Court of the Southern District of Florida after the Prosecutor’s Office requested a postponement and the defense did not oppose it.

Asked about how Martinelli spent Christmas and New Year   Camacho said that although he is “strong” and receives visits from relatives and other authorized persons “something must have affected him ” being in prison at this time.

However, Camacho said, he is “very optimistic” about the outcome of the appeal filed with Judge Cooke.

The defense appealed to Cooke after US judge Edwin Torres ruled on August 31 that Martinelli’s extradition to answer a case of illegal wiretapping during his government, in which  150 people were victims, including journalists, businessmen and politicians was backed by sufficient evidence

Successive requests for bail with offers as high as $10 million have been denied.

Panama’s  Supreme Court of Panama wants Martinelli to face charges of embezzlement (and illegal eavesdropping with up to a dozen others waiting in the wings.

In one of her first appearances  at the beginning of October, Judge Cooke instructed each of the parties to take a series of steps in order to “resolve this dispute efficiently and expeditiously.”

The appeal is directed to the US Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, and the active head of the detention center where Martinelli, is being held.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/jailed-martinelli-optimistic-extradition-hearing

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli Extradition Hearing Delayed Again

Posted on January 4, 2018 in Panama

Post Views: 284

 

THE MIAMI court hearing that will decide if ex-president Ricardo Marinelli will be shipped back to Panama to face trials for wiretapping and embezzlement has been delayed once again. 

It will now be held on January 23. After the CD Party elections on January 21, when the jailed  Martinelli will be vying to retain leadership of the CD party he founded to further his political ambitions.

The information was confirmed to TVN News on Thursday, January 4 by Sidney Sitton, part of Martinelli’s expansive legal team.

This is the second time that the hearing, has been delayed. Martinelli’s defense will deliver the arguments of the habeas corpus appeal filed before a Miami court.

It had been scheduled for January, 16 by Judge Marcia G. Cooke of the Federal Court of the Southern District of Florida.

The legal team of the former president in the United States presented the habeas corpus on September 28 in an attempt to dismiss the decision of Federal Judge Edwin G. Torres, who determined the extradition of Martinelli to answer for the case of wiretapping during his Government.

When he appears, Martinelli will have been detained for seven months in the Miami Detention Center, awaiting a response from the US Department of State regarding his possible shipment to Panama.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-extradition-hearing-delayed

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli  loses extradition battle

Posted on January 23, 2018 in Panama

Post Views: 572

 

Ex-president Ricardo Martinelli lost his final battle to avoid extradition to Panama, on Tuesday, Jan.23 when Judge Marcia Cooke, of the Court of the Southern District of Florida, endorsed the ruling of a previous judge.

He will return to face trial of illegal wiretapping of opposition politicians, critics, journalists and businessmen. He ia slo under investigation  in multiple corruption cases

He remains behind bars in Miami until Feb 6, when the judge will evaluate the granting of bail while the extradition process is underway. So far he has spent 225  days  in the Miami detention center

The prosecution has already announced that it opposes his release.

Sidney Sitton, attorney for Martinelli, said that his client will not appeal Judge Cooke’s decision reports La Prensa.

“I told him that when this ruling is over, we are not going to appeal anymore, we are going to Panama, win or lose”, Said Sitton.

According to the lawyer, the decision is not motivated by  Martinelli’s  humiliating defeat in the internal elections of Cambio Democrático, in which Martinelli lost the presidency of the party that he founded 20 years ago.

Martinelli appeared at the hearing in prison garb and with leg shackles. There were no family members in the courtroom.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-loses-extradition-battle

[Brundageba]

When you have everything in life going for you , how do you end up like this?   Very sad.  We are ever so thankful for our simple life...married now almost 50 years.   We have a simple home and a sweet dog.  By some good fortune (we have no clue why we deserve it) we  are retired in one of the sweetest places on earth...now for almost 11 years.   We see the sun rise and set each day with the rainbows in between and have peace.  Martinelli?...not so much.   What a shame.

[Moderator_02]

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Martinelli flip-flops on return to face music

Posted on January 24, 2018 in Panama

 

Martinelli . One more round

Post Views: 198

 

JUST 24 HOURS  after the  lead lawyer for former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli announced that his client would be making no more appeals  against extradition and would return to Panama to face justice his former government PR  flack  said that Martinelli will ask for bail and will appeal Tuesday’s ruling by US Judge Marcia G. Cooke, confirming  his extradition.

The flip-flop announcement comes from  Luis Eduardo Camacho. in a statement made in Miami to Efe News Agency following a meeting with Martinelli in the Miami detention center where he has been held since June 12.

Camacho said on Wednesday that at this point in the process it would not make sense to ask for bail if there was no intention to continue fighting extradition.

“Those who expected that Martinelli was down, were wrong. Today I found him  with a lot of enthusiasm, evaluating scenarios and making decisions.” Camacho said.

Although  judge gave thumbs down to an appeal filed by Martinelli’s defense against the decision of Judge Edwin Torres, who in  August gave the green light to the extradition, Cooke indicated that she was willing to consider a new request for bail for the ex-ruler.

According to Camacho, Martinelli, who is required to respond in Panama to crimes related to illegal wiretapping during his Presidency “will use the door opened” by Cooke.

The judge gave the defense until February 6   to decide whether or not to appeal her ruling.

Camacho said: “In life success or failure is not a matter of luck but of identifying opportunities and taking advantage of them, ” in a statement very different from the one made Tuesday by lawyer Sydney Sitton.

After the court hearing, Sitton told Efe in Miami that Martinelli had decided not to appeal anymore, and voluntarily return to Panama regardless of what Judge Cooke decided.

The same day Camacho replied that Martinelli had not made a decision, but he analyzed several “scenarios” with lawyers and collaborators.

Referring to Wednesday’s meeting in jail, said that  the former president’s  mood reflected his favorite saying:”Always be willing to fight one more round.”

Martinelli is wanted for embezzlement and illegal eavesdropping.

Currently in Panama is another case against Martinelli, this for the alleged irregular granting of more than 300 pardons, which may lead to another request for extradition, although it has been appealed by his lawyers.

 

http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/martinelli-flip-flops-return-face-music

[Keith Woolford]

Unless Judge Marcia Cooke is a real joker, I don't think Martinelli will be getting out on bail.

Personally, I'm glad he's been dragging it out in Miami where he can't manipulate the Panamanian justice system and disrupt the current government, as he would be able to if he was here.

Edited January 25, 2018 by Keith Woolford