Former president Martinelli is at the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama after receiving asylum

Former President of Panama Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), candidate for re-election in the elections next May and sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering, is in the embassy of Nicaragua in Panama after receiving asylum, his spokesman, Luis Eduardo Camacho, said this Wednesday.

“He’s at the embassy“Camacho told journalists in front of the diplomatic headquarters of the Nicaraguawhose Government reported this Wednesday that it had already granted asylum to the former Panamanian president and that it requested the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to grant him safe passage for departure.

LOOK HERE: In a historic firm sentence of 10 years for money laundering against former Panamanian president Martinelli

Martinelli, 71, requested asylum in Nicaragua “because his life is in danger, that was the basis, that he is a politically persecuted person and his life is in danger“said Camacho, pointing this out to the Government of the Panamanian president, Laurentino Cortizo.

Camacho, as Martinelli has already said, accused the Cortizo Executive of manipulating the Supreme Court of Panama to reject, as happened last Thursday, an appeal for cassation, the last legal means to annul the sentence handed down in July 2023 against Martinelli for money laundry. , which made it definitive.

This unappealable sentence constitutionally disqualifies Martinelli from holding public office by popular election, as stated in article 180 of the Constitution, say Panamanian analysts and lawyers, who assure that all that remains is to complete the administrative procedures both to arrest the former president and not to arrest the former president, go to the polls on May 5th.

The rejection of the appeal leads to Martinelli’s arrest.”try to kill him again”in prison, added the former president’s spokesman.

“The Government of Nicaragua decided to grant political asylum, therefore, if anyone had any doubts that Ricardo Martinelli was a politically persecuted person, they no longer need to have it, and what needs to be seen now is whether the Cortizo Government (… . ) grants safe passage (…) or if your thirst, your desire to kill Ricardo Martinelli they are more important”, declared Camacho.

Panama “cannot grant” safe passage to Martinelli

Former Attorney General of Panama Ana Matilde Gomes told EFE that Martinelli “is a criminal firmly convicted of a common and apolitical criminal offense, which is why the Panamanian Government cannot grant him”safe conduct for this reason.

“Therefore, you must remain in Nicaraguan Embassy without making a political statement, because if he did so he would lose his refugee status in the aforementioned embassy“, added the professor and former independent deputy, who highlighted that Martinelli was “brave to break the law but cowardly to obey it”.

MORE INFORMATION: Former Panamanian president Martinelli sentenced to almost 11 years in prison for money laundering

The Panamanian analyst agreed with this José Eugênio Stoutewho opined that this is a situation “delicate for the Panamanian government, not for the Nicaraguan one“, because if Cortizo”grant exit“From the Field to Martinelli”this is going to be a terrible scandal”.

“Among the criminals they understand each other, the other (the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega) is a human rights violator and other things that we don’t know, but this one (Martinelli), we know that he is a money launderer, declared (…) and recognized as such by the supreme court of justice“, added the former attorney general.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.