Martinelli chalks up $32.8 million in discretionary spending

WITH OVER a year still left in office, President Ricardo Martinelli has outstripped his three predecessors with his “discretionary” spending.

So far Martinelli has spent $32.8 million substantially more than his last three predecessors, who all spent an average of $23.5 million.

In the first three months of 2013, President Ricardo Martinelli spent $2.1 million in discretionary funds.
The funds were used to cover medical expenses and payments for trips abroad, according to a report released through the website of the Presidency of the Republic.
A La Estrella front page headline on Monday read: “Martinelli and the Life of the Rich and Famous” referring to his weekend jaunt to the Monaco Grand Prix attended by local royalty, "movie stars, super models and other jet setting autocrats seeking to escape the austerity of Europe."