Investigations of Martinellis wife and son to continue

PANAMA’S Electoral Court (TE)  has  upheld the continued  investigation of the former First Lady, Marta Linares de Martinelli and also ruled  that it was not necessary to lift the immunity of  Ricardo Martinelli Linares, son of the former president, Ricardo Martinelli.

In the case of Linares de Martinelli, the First Anticorruption Prosecutor requested the suspension of immunity to continue the summary for the alleged commission of “crimes against public administration to the detriment of the National Assistance Program”.

The investigation  is about the distribution by the Office of the First Lady of holiday food bags acquired allegedly irregularly, with public funds.

The judges of the TE, Erasmo Pinilla, Eduardo Valdes Escoffery and Heriberto Arauz, determined that there were no grounds for reconsidering the decision taken by the plenary on December 2. The son of the former president is being investigated by the Fourth Anti- Corruption prosecutor for allegedly a crime against the public administration in the case of Buko Millionaire.

The judges stressed that it was not necessary to lift the immunity Ricardo Martinelli Linares, because after being nominated for a position during the Democratic Change convention, the defense did not notify the prosecution in time. Therefore, according to the judges, there was a tacit waiver.