Twenty-one criminal cases filed against former Panamanian president
Panama City, Panama — The total number of criminal cases filed against former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli has risen to 21.
The list includes:
(1) A case charging an irregular (i.e. illegal) extradition, involving an Ecuadorian national
(2) Corruption in the government purchase of dehydrated food products [two cases]
(3) A case filed against Martinelli by a former presidential candidate, Balbina Herrera
(4) A case involving illegal government land seizures
(5) The Financial Pacific/Petaquilla Mining Limited insider trading case
(6) Cobranzas del Istmo, a corruption case involving the collection of delinquent taxes
(7) Several cases filed by individuals damaged by illegal surveillance
(8) A case involving the granting of pardons
(9) The PAN corruption case, involving overpayments for government purchases
(10) Illegal Supreme Court intervention in the electoral process, directed by Martinelli
Martinelli is currently a fugitive from justice whose current whereabouts are unknown.
Meanwhile, 76 deputies from the National Assembly of Panama and the Central American Parliament are under investigation for failing to report campaign donations. The Electoral Code requires that political parties and candidates must file reports on all private contributions.
Most of these political candidates were running only as substitutes or alternates, meaning that they would only be called to serve in cases where the elected deputy was absent, disabled, or dead. The probability that they will ever take office is extremely slim, as they have merely a standby role.
Notwithstanding this limitation, these candidates failed to file reports on how much money they received from private sources.
Kenneth Rijock is a banking lawyer turned-career money launderer (10 years), turned-compliance officer specialising in enhanced due diligence, and a financial crime consultant who publishes a Financial Crime Blog. The Laundry Man, his autobiography, was published in the UK on 5 July 2012.