Red alert for fugitive Ricardo Martinelli

A RED ALERT   has been sent to  Interpol for the arrest of Panama’s former  president Ricardo Martinelli.

It’s a move  that Panamanians have been awaiting for months  and it came on Tuesday, June 28, when Judge Jerome Mejía, who is handling the case involving Martinelli, sent the message.

This was confirmed by National Police Director Omar Pinzón and Supreme Court Judge Harry Díaz, who is prosecuting the case.

Diaz sent a request for the red alert to Mejía on Friday last week.

Diaz based the request on the order issued by the plenum of the Supreme Court on Dec. 21.

The former president faces charges related to illegal surveillance carried out by the National Security Agency which could carry a 20 year jail term. He also faces a number of other corruption related prosecutions, and inquiries have been received from Swiss prosecutors relating to his and his sons’ bank accounts.

His sons have fled the country, and their whereabouts are unknown. Martinelli is living in a high end luxury apartment block in  Miami where he gets regular visits from mebers of the Democratic Change Party  that he founded and funded until it propelled him to the presidency. He still attempts to pull the strings from afar, but there have been revolts among deputies who refused his ultimatum  to take a pledge of allegiance or face firing from the party, and turned down his choice of party president Alma Cortes, who is now herself facing criminal corruption charges.

Martinelli has used a battery of high priced lawyers to stave of appearance befoe the court and has frequently used the  ”political persecution” mantra when faced with prosecution in various corruption cases.

According to Diaz, the red alert is complementary to the request for extradition that Mejia presented to the Foreign Ministry May 26.