Curtain rises on Martinelli soap opera”

ITALIAN “FIXER” Valter Laví¬tola appearing before the Italian courts, Wednesday November 16 faces charges of trying to extort $20 million from the Impregilo company million on behalf of the previous government of Panama for the construction of a pediatric hospital in Veraguas promised by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2010.

The proceedings, which, have brought out the names of many prominent figures in Italy and Panama including former president Ricardo Martinelli who has described the proceedings as a “soap opera”
The former high roller in Panama will face questions from the three judges who make up the sixth section of the Association of Judges of the Court of Naples, chaired by Giovanna Cepalluni.
The proceedings began on April 16 when the judges determined that there was evidence that a crime had been committed, and ordered the holding of an immediate trial without a preliminary hearing.
During these six months there have been more than 20 judicial sessions in different courtrooms in Naples, which have featured appearances by a cast of performers including, former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, former Foreign Minister Franco Frattini; senior officials of companies, among them former Director of the Popular bank of Milan Massimo Ponzellini and former Impregilo Director Alberto Rubegni; diplomats and a journalist, reports la Prensa.
Now that Prosecutor Vinzenzo Piscitelli and Lavítola lawyer Marianna Febrario have finished questioning witnesses, it is the judges turn. And if everything continues as planned, they will give a ruling before year’s end.
Lavítola will have to explain why he forced the Italian company to pay $70,000 into a secret account in Brazil, which was allegedly used to pay for a vacation taken by former President Ricardo Martinelli in Sardinia in the summer of 2011. They are also expected to ask about alleged threats and pressures exerted on Impregilo in the name of Martinelli.
The accused must also clarify what type of relationship he had with the businessman Rogelio Oruña, listed by prosecutors as a “figurehead and hidden partner” of the former Panamanian president, or if the hospital was actually “a hidden mode” to offer bribes to Martinelli.
Currently, Lavitola faces two trials related to Panama: the one in Naples and one in Rome, where he faces corruption charges.