China News Service, Beijing, February 8th, Panama City News: On February 7th, local time, former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli was granted asylum by Nicaragua.
Bloomberg reported that Martinelli is currently at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama and has completed the paperwork to apply for safe travel to Nicaragua. The Supreme Court of Panama recently rejected Martinelli's appeal and upheld a 2023 verdict against him on money laundering charges. Martinelli faces more than 10 years in prison and will be disqualified from running for president.
Panama will hold presidential elections on May 5. Panama's "News" reported that Martinelli won the Panama Realizando Metas party's primary election in June 2023 and became the party's presidential candidate. He has since maintained the lead in many polls. Reuters said that after the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced that it had upheld the original verdict, the Panamanian electoral body has not yet made a statement on Martinelli's qualifications to run.
The Associated Press reported that Nicaragua’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 7th confirming that Martinelli had been provided asylum. Martinelli requested asylum on the grounds of "political persecution and imminent danger to his life," the statement said. Nicaragua called on the Panamanian government to allow Martinelli to leave the country immediately for Nicaragua. Currently, he is waiting for the opportunity to safely leave the country at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama.
The Associated Press said the money laundering case in which Martinelli was convicted was related to his 2010 acquisition of a publishing company that owned national newspapers. Prosecutors said that during Martinelli's presidency, a company that made huge profits from government contracts funneled money to another undercover company, which then bought publishing companies. The transaction involved a complex series of foreign fund transfers amounting to US$43 million.
Martinelli is a well-known Panamanian entrepreneur who served as President of Panama from 2009 to 2014. In 2015, he was investigated for corruption shortly after leaving office. In 2017, he was involved in the sensational corruption case of the Brazilian company Odebrecht. (over)