Panama’s Alcatraz for Martinelli?

Fears that former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli may again skip the country to avoid potential long jail terms has prompted calls for his preventive detention, even in Panama’s Alcatraz as soon as he returns on Monday, June 11.

With stories circulating on social media of proffered bribes of $13 million by the billionaire,  victims of spying, practiced by the National Security Council (CSN)are asking the Supreme Court to follow through on the detention ordered by the full Court on December 21, 2015. 10 days after the judge of guarantees, Jerónimo Mejía, declared him “in absentia” for not appearing at a prosecution hearing.

The lawyers of the complainants presented a petition for the full summons of the court to a hearing in the 48 hours after the arrival of Martinelli, in order to order his preventive arrest.

Carlos Herrera Morán, lawyer of the doctor Mauro Zúñiga – another victim of the CSN-, said that the plenary should call a hearing to inform Martinelli of the four charges against him and keep the detention. Considers it appropriate to maintain the preventive arrest as he has resources that would allow him to leave the country, as he once did, and should even, consider that he be sent to the Punta Coco maximum security prison, known as Panama’s Alcatraz.