Judge Gives Martinelli $1 Million Bail Surprise

AFTER  8 MONTHS behind bars, Panama’s  ex-president Ricardo Martinelli has been granted bail of $1 million, $4 million less than his previous offer.

Judge Marcia Cooke of the Southern District Court of Florida announced the surprise decision on Tuesday, February 13, in spite of opposition from US prosecutors who consider Martinelli a high flight risk.

The thinned down Martinelli must remain confined in his Miami residence, with permission to attend only summons to the Court and will have have to hand in his passport and report once a week.

“If you do not meet these conditions, you will be arrested and delivered immediately to Panama,” warned the judge.

At a hearing held on  January 23, Cooke denied a habeas corpus presented by the ex-ruler’s lawyers, in an attempt to prevent his extradition to Panama.

The bond will allow Martinelli await the outcome of the extradition process in his luxury waterside mansion. In Coral Gables.

The Miami prosecutor’s office opposed the release of Martinelli and in a letter to the judge warned about the high risk of flight that granting a bond implied. The prosecutor also reminded Cooke that  Judge Edwin Torres, in a ruling of August 31, certified the extradition of Martinelli and ordered that he remain in custody until delivery to the Panamanian authorities.

What he faces
Martinelli is required for the unauthorized interception of communications through the National Security Council, in the last two years of his mandate.

He is also facing investigations for embezzlement and corruption in multiple cases amounting to scores of millions of dollars.