Martinelli $44.9 million food scandal hearing set

OBSERVERS are bracing  for more dodge-the bullet tactics by the phalanx of lawyers for self-exiled ex-president Ricardo Martinelli in a  Jan. 27 hearing into  the purchase of dehydrated food through the National Assistance Program (PAN).

Supreme Court Justice Jeronimo Mejía set the hearing for 9 a.m. At this hearing, he will decide on the continuation of the investigation.

The investigation focuses on $44.9 million in food that was purchased from Lerkshore International Company.

The case has also prompted a criminal investigation by the Attorney General into a number of officials from the Martinelli administration, including PAN Director Giácomo Tamburrelli and Comptroller Gioconda Torres de Bianchini, and numerous business figures.