Reactions to delayed Martinelli hearing

DECISION  made by Supreme Court President  Justice Jose Ayu Prado to  ignore a request from the prosecutor  to declare ex-President Ricardo Martinelli in default for not appearing  at a  court hearing has faced widespread criticism in Panama’s legal community.

Ayú Prado, a Martinelli appointee, extended  the  hearing in a case involving pardons granted by Martinelli at the end of his term.

Lawyer Ernesto Cedeño was of the opinion that Ayú Prado should have proceeded in the same way that his

colleague Jerónimo Mejía did in another case ­ involving

intercepted communications ­ by declaring Martinelli to be in default for failing to appear.

Cedeño said that the Supreme Court must act in a uniform way in these proceedings because handling cases differently could provide the basis for a legal challenge.

Ayu Prado has delayed the case he is adjudicating by 35 days.

Martinelli, who fled Panama  in January 2015 faces a number of criminal c omplaints. He fled the country in January 2015 and is currently holed up in a luxury apartment in Miami. Moves are underway for his extradition, while an Interpol red-alert is in place for his two sons.

believed to be in Miami.

Other lawyers accused Martinelli of delaying this case and others  by having his battery lawyers file useless motions