Martinelli’s extortion, influence peddling hearing

Ex-President Ricardo Martinelli currently in a Miami prison cell awaiting extradition to Panama is due in a Panama court on Tuesday, April 10  for an imputation hearing in the Bahia Honda case in which he is accused of committing crimes against individual freedom, extortion, and influence peddling.

The date was set at the request of the prosecuting judge,  Abel Zamorano.

The case arises from a complaint filed by Donaldo Sousa Guevara on behalf of Aurelio Camaño Hernández.

According to Sousa, Martinelli accompanied by a multimillionaire businessman, who has “Monopolized a large amount of land in the south of Veraguas, threatened the residents that if they fought for the lands where they had the right of possession he would put them in jail. “

Sidney Sitton, the lawyer for Martinelli said that the hearing “is perfect nonsense in terms of wanting to impute Ricardo Martinelli for a  never investigated case and not only that, but the people who accuse him are people dedicated to committing illicit land acts in the province of Veraguas.”

The Judge of Guarantees will be Judge Harry Diaz and the hearing will take place in the Chamber of Cassation at 10 a.m.  The accused will be missing, the defense lawyer will collect a hefty fee. and more urgent cases will  remain in limbo