Martinelli case “show and politics”

Not only ex-president Ricardo Martinelli  knew what the Security Council was doing, in alleged wiretapping of political opponents journalists and businessmen and the current investigation covers only the last two years of Martinelli’s reign after the break-up with the Panamenistas  led by Juan Carlos Varela says one of the plaintiffs  a prominent Panama lawyer

In an interview with El Siglo    Rosendo Rivera says the case, which in theory could see Martinelli facing a 21-year prison sentence is pure show and politics e

Asked if the ex-president would seek a penalty agreement Rivera said that eight month’s ago one of Martinelli ’s lawyers

approached the victims, told them that he had the intention of making an agreement of punishment that contemplated returning to Panama and taking responsibility. There was no de facto agreement, but they were the first indications that Martinelli intended to return. “He told us that he had cancer to soften us up. The lawyer told us that the cancer was terminal, and in the diligence, on his yesterday Martinelli spoke of possible cancer. But in the documentation provided by doctors, in the section  that said cancer he himself said no.”

Paid Protesters
“… A series of acts have been woven around Martinelli trying to sell the idea that he suffers from cancer. That was months ago, now how are we going to believe he suffers from blood pressure? I told one of the complainants, that I am also hypertensive, and if I   stop taking the pills   I will feel bad. That’s what Martinelli did. He stopped taking the pills to do a media show[in the courtroom.] Outside he already had his supporters, there were awnings, water, they distributed T-shirts and they pointed out some people who were giving $30 and $40 to come to the city.”

Political persecution
On the political persecution mantra, Rivera said:  All those who leave the government and become opposition are going to say the same same thing. You will hear from the Panameñistas in 2019 when the beauties that made this government are out of office

My interest is to know what happened before 2012. The meeting that took place between Luis Eduardo Camacho [Martinelli lawyer and spokesman] and  José Luis Varela [President Varela’s brother] was to remind him that Martinelli has the information of 2009-2012.

“If you go into the process you will see statements from people who point out that days after the 2014 elections, the two fugitives from the Security Council dismantled the snooping machine and erased the hard drive  What is investigated is a part that supposedly remained. The other party, who took it? The two fugitives or the president of that time? What I think is that Martinelli has a lot of information about people, which made them finally sit down and reach an agreement.”

Rivera added that he believed the current president who had an alliance with the government of 2009-2011? knew what was going on and the Executive has been intervening with the magistrates of the Court “from day one. I have no doubt that the president of the Court has his hands in this case.”