Paraguayan Horacio Cartes and Panamanian Ricardo Martinelli will not be able to enter the country; both appeared in the Pandora Papers
the United States government applied sanctions against the former president of Paraguay Horacio Cartes (2013 to 2018) and the former President of Panama Ricardo Martinelli (2009 to 2014) in the last week. The 2 former heads of state are accused of corruption and had data revealed in the Pandora Papers, a journalistic investigation led by the ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists).
With sanctions, Cartes and Martinelli cannot enter the US.
PARAGUAY
On Thursday (26.jan.2023), the Ofac (Office for the Control of Foreign Assets) of the US Treasury Department sanctioned Horacio Cartes and 4 of his companies. He is accused of corruption before, during and after his term in Paraguay.
“Cartes’ political career was based on and continues to depend on corrupt means for success”, says Ofac in a statement. The document also claims that Cartes paid thousands of dollars to party members and public officials in exchange for their loyalty and support.. Here’s the full (121 KB).
One of the sanctioned companies controlled by Cartes was revealed in the Pandora Papers.
It’s about the offshore Dominican Acquisition SA, by Cartes and their 3 children. Created in Panama in 2011, the company owns an apartment in Miami (USA) and an account in a Paraguayan bank controlled by the Cartes.
According to the vehicle ACB Color, ICIJ partner, Horacio Cartes did not include The offshore in the declaration of assets during the presidential term. In 2021, after being approached by journalists from the Pandora Papers, he changed his statements.
Cartes’ legal representative told ICIJ that the offshore was used to buy the property in Florida, but which never had a bank account and which would be inactive after being sold.
With sanctions, Cartes cannot enter the US. Its assets in the country are frozen. The defense of the former president of Paraguay alleges that the Americans act for political reasons and have not presented evidence.
PANAMA
On Wednesday (25.jan), the United States announced that Ricardo Martinelli was banned from entering the country. Why: the former Panamanian president is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for improperly awarding government contracts in his tenure.
“Such acts of public corruption undermine trust in governance and reduce the resources available to schools, hospitals, roads and other government services”, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. Here’s the full (114 KB).
On the same day, January 26, 2 of Martinelli’s sons were released from prison in the US after serving 3 years in prison for bribery and money laundering. They were escorted from New York to Panama City.
In December 2021, brothers Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares pleaded guilty to laundering US$28 million in bribes paid by Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to a Panamanian agent.
Although the court did not identify the Panamanian official by name, saying only that he was someone very close to the Martinellis, a release from the US embassy in Panama said that Martinelli, the father, was one of the beneficiaries of the bribes.
Ricardo Martinelli must be tried for money laundering in the case involving Odebrecht and in other cases of suspected corruption. Even with the problems in Justice, he seeks a 2nd presidential term in the 2024 elections.
in a statement published on social networks on Thursday (26.jan), a spokesperson for the former president of Panama and his legal team stated that no evidence had been presented to substantiate the accusations against him.
This report was originally written by journalist Brenda Medina, from the ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists). Can be read in English on here.
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