OFF THE CUFF: A runaway and his spin doctor

WHEN the lawyers of ex-president  Ricardo Martinelli recently appeared before Panama’s Supreme Court, to try to block his arrest,  a dwindling crowd of CD supporters gathered outside  to protest his “political persecution”.

Leading the chanting, megaphone in hand, was the CD Party, and former government ,spinmeister Eduardo Camacho, who daily mouths the persecution mantra on radio.

One of the  stalling  actions  of Martinelli’s well paid  lawyers  when he didn’t appear in court, was the claim that he  had not been properly notified. Doing the rounds on Facebook,  is  a photo of Martinelli and Camacho, himself a lawyer, enjoying a coffee at a Starbucks outlet in Miami, where Martinelli (address unknown) has been in self imposed exile (or on the run) since January 2015.

Meanwhile, former Martinelli insiders, in detention awaiting corruption trials, get government issue dregs and no free  brand publicity.