Martinelli sits 3rd on world corruption list

RICARDO MARTINELLI  who  fled Panama on January 28 2015 has likely done more to draw attention to the country of his birth since then, that at any time when he occupied the Presidential Palace.

The man who, like the unmourned Richard Nixon, yearned to be president, to the point where founded, and funded his own political party, and eased his way into power with  the lavish distribution of funds  for rallies,  distributing   food drinks , and goodies to all willing  to attend and wave a CD banner. In power he continued his purchasing of loyalty as he recruited opposition deputies to the party, to ensure control of the Assembly.

Aided by his personal Svengali the shadowy Salomon  Shamah, the tourism leader whose US Visa was lifted after DEA exposure of some of his unofficial activities, Martinelli  was not averse to  other methods of coercion including, firing the head of the Cultural Institute( INAC), and re-instating her a few days later when her father, a Panamenista Deputy,  jumped ship and pinned the CD label to his chest to demonstrate filial love.

And then there was the wire-tapping of political opponents, journalists, businessman and judges, first exposed in a US ambassador email to Washington, after Martinelli had requested the aid of the DEA to set up his spying mission.

Since his failure to keep his finger on the country’s control button via his wife as a vice-presidential candidate, Martinelli’s grip on his Democratic Change  party has been slipping, with CD Deputies refusing to obey his ultimatum to sign up to a loyalty pledge, and refusing to endorse the unpopular  Alma Cortes as temporary leader of the divided group.

Members streamed from the party after the defeat of their presidential candidate in 2014, and last year the stream became a torrent with over 30,000  fleeing.

Martinelli, facing at least 12 criminal processes in the Supreme Court has now come third in a worldwide corruption  poll organized by Transparency  International (T!)

First place was won by former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych

Martinelli  who faces at least 12 cases in the Supreme Court for alleged corruption during his tenure, came  behind the flagship of corruption in Latin America: Brazil’s Petrobras scandal.

He beat other contestants considered global emblems of corruption, like  FIFA.

The voting closed  February 10 and  Berlin based TI  reports it has  now entered the phase of “social sanctions” for the top nine chosen by the public from  a list of 383, of individuals, companies and organizations

TI wants citizens to join the campaign of sanctions. “We call on all those who have supported the contest to punish the corrupt and join us in our actions,” said Jose Ugaz, president of the organization.

“Lying, cheating, theft and fraud are the tools of the corrupt. We seek sanctions against these cases, as far as possible, “said Ugaz.

Martinelli has gained more worldwide coverage as the lid of the Panama corruption can has been lifted, than he ever got on a record number of  “missions” or side trips with cronies  on the presidential plane to parties in Sardinia or World Cup games in South Africa. Now he  has been reconized for his achiebements.