PANAMA CITY – A Panamanian courtroom sentenced former President Ricardo Martinelli to greater than 10 years in jail for cash laundering, the lawyer normal’s workplace mentioned on Tuesday, threatening the front-runner’s bid for a brand new time period subsequent 12 months.
Martinelli said his innocence following the choice within the case, often known as “New Business,” which alleges public funds had been used to purchase a media conglomerate and provides the ex-president a majority stake.
“We all know they want to convict me out of political interest,” Martinelli mentioned in a video. “I have no ties to illicit funds.”
Four others had been additionally sentenced on Tuesday for his or her involvement within the scheme, in line with a press release from the lawyer normal’s workplace. Martinelli was ordered to pay a $19.2 million wonderful along with serving 128 months in jail.
The former president’s protection will enchantment the sentence and exhaust all of the authorized avenues accessible, Martinelli’s lawyer Carlos Carrillo mentioned in a news convention.
“Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal’s candidacy is solid,” Carrillo mentioned, noting he’s nonetheless eligible to run for the presidency since there may be time to problem the sentence.
The former president additionally faces cash laundering fees for his alleged involvement within the Odebrecht case, an enormous bribery scandal involving public officers throughout Latin America.
Two of his sons returned to Panama earlier this 12 months after dealing with jail time in Guatemala and the US for cash laundering in a case linked to Odebrecht.
A survey revealed in May by polling agency Campaigns & Elections Mexico put Martinelli because the front-runner within the coming elections, adopted by former President Martin Torrijos.
Martinelli turned the primary official candidate for Panama’s 2024 presidential election final month after he was elected by the occasion Realizando Metas, a bunch he based two years in the past.
The United States barred Martinelli from getting into the nation in January, accusing him of accepting bribes in return for improperly awarding authorities contracts throughout his 2009-2014 administration. —Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
