Martinelli called to May court hearing

TWO  MIAMI NEWSPAPERS  carried advertisements on   Wednesday, April 26,  with a  Supreme Court notification to former President Ricardo Martinelli that a hearing before Judge Abel Zamorano is scheduled for May 10 at 9 a.m.

The  ads were published in  the Spanish versions of the Miami Herald and El Diario de las Américas.

Oral notification was made on April 3.

The court has determined that Martinelli has been sufficiently notified of the hearing, reports La Prensa

The court also reported that two officials of the

Judicial Office will remain in the offices of the Panama consulate in Miami, waiting for Martinelli.

On April 3, Ayú Prado, who serves as judge of guarantees in the  case involving the Martinelli pardoning of 353 people before he left office, ordered the former president to appear.

The Attorney General sent a complaint to the court over the pardons in June 2014.

Martinelli has been out of the country since Jan. 28, 2015, when the Supreme Court began prosecuting him for alleged irregularities in the $46 million purchase of dehydrated food.

All told, Martinelli is facing charges in some dozen cases, including illegal wiretapping of 150  political opponents, journalists, and businessmen, a crime that could carry a 20-year jail term.