4th Martinelli case to Supreme Court

COPIES OF authenticated copies of the file linking president Ricardo Martinelli, with irregular business operations of Collections del Istmo, SA (CISA) have been sent to Panama’s Supreme Court.

The decision was made by Anti-corruption Prosecutor Ruth Morcillo.
The remainder of this file will remain with the prosecution, as part of the investigation that has ordered precautionary measures against former Director General of Revenue, Luis Cucalón, and businessman Christopher Salerno, among others.
Cucalón is remanded in custody, while Salerno is under house arrest.
The judges of the Court will now have to define whether or not to prosecute Martinelli, for this alleged involvement in the operations of the collections agency.
He is already facing investigation for other corruption allegations and has been out of Panama for over six months. CISA -during the Martinelli era, obtained the exclusive right to manage the collection of delinquent taxes.
Rogelio Cruz, Martinelli’s lawyer, said Monday learned of the decision by the prosecutor Morcillo. “We have not been notified, but we know that the dossier was referred to the Court,” he said.
Cruz said that this afternoon there will be a meeting of the team defending Martinelli, to discuss the issue. The appointment is expected to define the lawyers who will attend this new case facing Martinelli.
Christopher Tobin said in Salerno Fourth Anticorruption Prosecutor Martinelli received benefits which managed CISA charges.
According to testimony from Salerno to he delivered suitcases “suitcases of cash” to Martinelli every two or three months. He said that each bag held between $400 000 and $ 600,000.
Salerno said that additionally he gave Martinelli a check for $900,000, made out to the Isthmus Energy Corporation.
These funds were for his “participation” in the fees received by CISA which managed collections for the DGI.
The CISA case against Martinelli, must be tried before the Supreme Court because of his current status as a Member of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN).
Martinelli left Panama on January 28 last, to attend the monthly meeting of the Central American Parliament. Since then he has not returned and his current whereabouts are unknown, although he has been seen in Miami, USA, where it has a beachfront condominium on the exclusive Brickell Avenue.
The Court has already opened a court case for the irregular purchase by Martinelli of $49 million worth of dehydrated foods through the National Help Program and the illegal interception of communications.
The judges Oyden Ortega and Harry Diaz are the speakers of the first and second case, A third case was recently accepted by the plenary of the Supreme Court.
This is related to Martinelli granting 355 pardons in the twilight of his administration which has been declared unconstitutional, reports La Prensa.