OFF THE CUFF: Martinelli lawyers react to extradition move

WHILE ex-president Ricardo Martinelli  returned to Twitter mode to denounce the Supreme Court’s move to initiate extradition proceedings against  him, his lawyers were quick off the mark to call on the Foreign Ministry.

Rogelio Cruz and Sidney Sitton, who have played major roles in throwing up road blocks for  prosecutors in multiple cases trying  to get the supermarket baron to face justice , met with officials of the Ministry on Friday, May 27  about the extradition request it received from the Supreme Court on Thursday.

The lawyers said that they have not yet been granted access to the documents sent by the court. They announced they will return to the Foreign Ministry on  Monday.

The extradition request, which is being reviewed by the legal team of the ministry, was filed by the court in connection with an investigation into wiretaps allegedly ordered by Martinelli on his political opponents and others while he was in office.

The surveillance was carried out by the National Security Council whose operators reported directly to Martinelli.

The supermarket baron tweeted his favorite mantra, from his Miami hideout, describing the moves against him as “political persecution.”

He has been sidelined in recent weeks as the Panama Papers and Waked  scandals pushed him out of the media spotlight.

Meanwhile while  batteries of Martinelli lawyers in Panama and the US cab look forward to a profitable second half of the year, representatives of the victims  of Martinelli wiretapping persecution  expressed skepticism that the Foreign Ministry’ will act with alacrity.