Fugitives appeal denied in Martinelli wiretap scandal

PANAMA’S WIRETAPPING scandal continues on its ponderous crawl through the courts as  defense lawyers continue their attempts to throw roadblocks in the way of an event whose central character is former president Ricardo Martinelli.

The latest turn in the seemingly endless chain of legal maneuvers is the ejection of an appeal by the legal defense of a former staff member of the National Security Council (CSN) who is a fugitive, whereabouts unknown, Criminal Court Judge Enrique Pérez, rejected the  appeal of  William Pittí asking that  the affidavit  of  a  protected witness in the investigation of illegal procedures by the previous be declared invalid.

The judge said  in his April 11 ruling that “these matters were discussed at the preliminary hearing, which draws attention to the lawyer’s office reiterating this issue”.

He said in “we see that there is a contradictory stance because it calls for the implementation of due process on matters that are obviously out of time and irrelevant”.

Said the judge Pérez in its judgment of 11 April 2016, that the defense of the former staff of the CSN makes use of “the principles of accusatory Procedure Code, however it  sidesteps one of the fundamental principles  …, the principle of loyalty and good faith. “

The protected witness would have revealed to the Public Prosecutor that the CSN wiretapped  were more than 150 people and identified as those responsible for listening to former Executive Secretaries of the CSN Gustavo Perez and Alejandro Garuz.

It  also said Pittí and Ronny Rodriguez were the agents who met with then President Ricardo Martinelli to give reports of activities.

Rodriguez also is a fugitive in this process.

Martinelli as a deputy of the Central American Parliament is processed in this case by the Supreme Court

The trial for this case has been suspended twice. On March 7 because it had not been notified to all parts of the process and on April 11 because the plaintiffs asked the judge to allow them to seek for new evidence.