Judge meets auditors in Martinelli investigation

JUDGE OYDEN ORTEGA, acting as prosecutor in the investigation of former President Ricardo Martinelli for alleged embezzlement, met with auditors from the Comptroller’s Office who analyzed $45 millions of contracts signed between the National Assistance Program (PAN) and the company that supplied it with dehydrated food.

The Comptroller’s Office audited the contracts at the request of the second anti-corruption prosecutor based on statements by former PAN Director Giacomo Tamburrelli, who said he was ordered to sign them by Martinelli.
Sources linked to the investigation reported that Ortega met with the auditors to certify their findings.
Sidney Sitton, a lawyer for Martinelli, , said that the prosecutor prevented him from participating in the interrogation of the auditors, “a clear violation of due process.”
He said Yazmin Jaen, Ortega’s assistant prosecutor, informed him that he could not be present at the examination reports La Prensa.
The value of the food provided by the company, Lerkshore International, was determined to be substantially less than the $45 million. contracts issued to the company.
In addition to Martinelli and Tamburelli, a number of other officials are also being investigated in the case, including former Minister of Education Lucy Molinar and businessman Ruben Ycaza.
Prosecutors recently carried out an inspection at the headquarters of the Public Registry and the PAN offices in San Felipe in search of evidence in the case.