Government resources used for Martinelli in Italy
PANAMA’S previous administration, led by Ricardo Martinelli, used government resources to promote private interests to the detriment of the state, according to documents received from sources in Italy.
Then-Panama Ambassador to Italy Guido Martinelli Jr. was instructed on April 26, 2012 by the Foreign Ministry to hire lawyer Franco Coppi to defend the interests of Panama in a corruption investigation. Reports La Prensa, which has published photos of the documents.
However, says La Prensa neither the embassy nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received any reports from Coppi related his efforts in court cases involving Panamanian officials linked to irregularities in a contract with defense consortium Finmeccanica despite instructions by the Foreign Ministry for the submission of monthly updates.
In December 2014, after the government changed, the embassy formally requested Coppi provide a summary of payments he received as well as the reports he provided.
Coppi has confirmed that he updated Ambassador Martinelli Jr. on the cases involving Panama officials.
The information provided by Coppi made it clear that he was working on behalf of individuals rather than defending the interests of the republic.
On May 23, 2012, Coppi received his first assignment.
On official letterhead of the embassy, Guido Martinelli Jr. asked the lawyer to determine the probability that Ricardo Martinelli, lawyer Francisco Martinelli or Minister Roxana Méndez would be summoned to testify reports La Prensa.
That would be followed by several exchanges with the lawyer with respect to the president and some of his aides.
Nothing in the correspondence indicates there was an effort to defend the interests of Panama or efforts to collaborate with Italian prosecutors.
On April 22, 2013, the Italian lawyer did send an opinion to the ambassador, but it was to inform him that Panama politicians were unlikely to be called to trial in Rome because “passive corruption” was not prosecuted in the country.
