The Supreme Court of Justice of Panama confirmed this Friday the sentence of ten years and eight months in prison of former president Ricardo Martinelli, convicted of money laundering in the purchase of a media group in the so-called New Business case. This resolution makes Martinelli, 71, the first former president of Panama sentenced to prison for corruption in the country's democratic history.
The second chamber of the court has rejected an appeal presented by Martinelli, thus leaving the sentence final and preventing the former president from participating in the May elections for the populist party Realizing Goals together with his number twoJosé Raúl Mulino, former Minister of Public Security.
Martinelli, president between 2009 and 2014, will also have to pay a fine of 19.2 million dollars. The court has also rejected a request to annul the case, for which he was convicted in July of laundering the funds he used to acquire shares of Editora Panamá América, owner of newspapers such as Criticism either Day to day.
The former president, who had aspirations of returning to the presidency of Panama, has been disqualified under article 180 of the Panamanian Constitution, which provides that no one may be elected president or vice president if he has been sentenced to a sentence equal to or greater than five years. “through an enforceable sentence issued by a court of law.” Panama will go to the polls on May 5.
Martinelli has another pending trial set for July 2024 for the alleged bribes he would have received from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, a case in which former president Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) and former Minister of Public Works Carlos Dubois are also involved.
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