Former president Martinelli faces new trial for political espionage in Panama

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The former president, Ricardo Martinelli, will face two crimes: interception of telecommunications and monitoring, persecution, and surveillance without judicial authorization.

Panama’s former president Ricardo Martinelli will face Tuesday a new trial for the case of illegal wiretapping during his term (2009-2014), after the annulment of the first one, in which he was found “not guilty” of four crimes, including embezzlement.

In this new trial, which is expected to begin tomorrow at a court venue in the Panamanian capital, Martinelli will face only two crimes: interception of telecommunications and monitoring, persecution, and surveillance without judicial authorization, for which he faces up to eight years in prison.

According to the indictment, Martinelli, 69 years old and who has always said he is innocent, ordered the interception of telecommunications of more than a hundred people, including business people, rival politicians and even allies of his, and journalists.

This case, known as “wiretapping,” has been long and complicated. It began in June 2015 in the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) sphere because Martinelli was then a Central American deputy and enjoyed that prerogative.

However, after being extradited on June 11, 2018, by the United States, where he was imprisoned for a year battling against his delivery to Panama, Martinelli resigned from the regional deputation, so the case went to the ordinary Justice.

On August 9, 2018, a court found Martinelli “not guilty” of four crimes related to espionage and embezzlement of public funds, for which the prosecution was seeking a maximum of 21 years in prison.

But after an appeal filed by the prosecution and the plaintiffs, an appeals court overturned the ruling and ordered a new trial for only two crimes, which generated criticism from the alleged victims.

THE HOPE OF THE PLAINTIFFS

“The victims of the abusive acts committed by former President Ricardo Martinelli and his lawyers, the plaintiffs, we are confident that the judicial system will sentence this gentleman next Tuesday,” said the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Carlos Herrera. The plaintiffs accuse Martinelli’s defense of trying to slow down the process by presenting multiple legal appeals, which did not prosper in court, to prevent the new trial.

Herrera warned that the former president “intends to be hospitalized on Monday for an alleged spinal operation”, in an alleged new maneuver to avoid the beginning of the trial.

During the trial, the former governor repeatedly alleged health problems, created a new party, Realizando Metas, with which he intends to run in the 2024 elections, and denounces that the new trial is part of a “persecution” to disqualify him politically.

In Panama, in addition to the “pinchazos” case, Martinelli is accused and is prohibited from leaving the country for the crime of money laundering in two other processes, the Odebrecht case and the one known as “New Business”, linked to the purchase of a media conglomerate.

In Spain, the Audiencia Nacional ordered this year to investigate Martinelli for alleged crimes of corruption in international transactions and money laundering produced, at least partially in Spain, in a case involving the construction company FCC and in which the former president will have the status of investigated, that is to say, imputed.

Two sons of the former Panamanian president, Ricardo Alberto, and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, have been detained for almost a year in Guatemala at the request of the US, which is asking for their extradition for the Odebrecht case.