Former President of Panama Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), who was sentenced to more than ten years in prison and fined more than US$19 million (R$94 million) for money laundering, received this Wednesday ( 7) political asylum from the Nicaraguan regime, led by dictator Daniel Ortega.
Martinelli, who had an appeal aimed at annulling his conviction rejected by the Supreme Court of Panama, claimed that he considers himself “persecuted for political reasons” and that his “life, physical integrity and safety” are at imminent risk in Panama, where, according to sources close to the political, “there are no constitutional guarantees, no law”.
The Nicaraguan regime, which has been facing a serious political and social crisis since 2018, when it violently repressed protests against the Sandinista dictatorship, granted asylum to Martinelli based on international conventions of a “humanitarian nature” and asked the Panamanian government to provide “guarantees” for Martinelli's departure and transfer to Nicaraguan territory.
Martinelli's conviction in 2023 is due to the irregular purchase of shares in the publisher Epasa, a case that dates back to 2017. According to the prosecution, the purchase of these shares in the publisher was carried out through a complex scheme of companies in which several companies deposited a total of US$43.9 million (R$218.1 million), which came from the payment of commissions for infrastructure works carried out during Martinelli's government. With part of these funds, the former president would have acquired the communications company, whose editorial line has since defended his achievements in the country.
The sentence for corruption and money laundering disqualified Martinelli from being a candidate in this year's presidential elections, as Panama's Constitution prevents individuals sentenced to sentences of more than five years from running for executive.
The granting of asylum to Martinelli also comes amid the Nicaraguan regime's repression against the Catholic Church, which has been a critical voice against the Ortega dictatorship. Since 2018, the Catholic Church in Nicaragua has suffered 740 attacks perpetrated by authorities of the Sandinista regime, according to a survey carried out by lawyer Martha Patricia Molina, who follows the cases.
Furthermore, more than 170 religious men and women are not carrying out their ministry in Nicaragua because they were expelled, denied entry or sent into exile.
Nicaragua recently rose 20 positions on the world map of religious persecution against Christians, prepared by the international NGO Missão Portas Abertas, moving from 50th position to 30th. (With EFE Agency)
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