FBI fingers Martinelli relative

AN INTERPOL red alert  for Aaron Mizrachi,  brother-in-law of ex-President Ricardo Martinelli –  in connection with a corruption investigation focused on a software contract with the German company SAP  remains in place.

Mizrachi fled the country aboard Martinelli’’s private jet in July 2015 as investigator’s were closing in on another  case related to the purchase of spy equipment for Martinelli’s surveillance program of political opponents, judges, journalists and businessmen.

He left the Albrook airport the same day that judicial authorities revealed that a company linked to Mizrachi, Caribbean Holding Services, was used as a conduit to funnel payments to the Israeli NSO Group, which provided the surveillance equipment.

In a resolution dated June 9, Judge Alina Hubiedo rejected a defense motion to prevent the arrest of Mizrachi.

The red alert   for his capture was issued through Interpol in April. In the ruling, Hubiedo highlighted that the offence which is being investigated is serious “since it is an act against the public administration.”

In the opinion, the judge referred to the testimony of Andrew Robinson, an FBI agent who participated in the investigation into the contract being conducted in the United States.

That testimony showed that SAP Vice President Vicente García (now jailed in the US) agreed to pay bribes in exchange for state contracts.

Robinson said that Mizrachi met with Garcia at a hotel in Panama to arrange for the payments.

In addition, Robinson explained that Mizrachi and Garcia exchanged e-mails in which they discussed the bribes. Mizrachi allegedly demanded a 10 percent payment to ensure SAP received the contract. That money was paid to a marketing company he owned.

Mizrachi’s son, Mayer, has been  in detention in Colombia, awaiting extradition on other criminal charges also involving offences against the administration.He was allegedly paid for encrypting government software security programs, but never delivered. He was arrested in December after flying from the United States.