Inner Circle links to Martinelli newspaper group purchase

WHILE Ricardo Martinelli sits in a Panama jail cell awaiting trial for wiretapping offenses that could see him facing 21 years imprisonment more evidence is surfacing showing the links between key members of his former inner circle and the purchase of a newspaper group now controlled by the ex-president.

The  State   Savings Bank, Caja de Ahorros (CA),  transferred $7 million transferred to the accounts of New Business, a company that in two days in  December 2010 he collected enough money to buy Editora Panamá América, S.A.

Documents of the Public Ministry reveal that in 2010 the CA made two loans: one to Henri Mizrachi Cohen (on a personal basis) for $3,985,995; and another one to the society Global Office Corp. – linked to Mizrachi, still director of the Panama Canal Authority- for $2,989, 495, reports La Prensa

Checks were deposited in accounts of the company New Business on Mizrachi’s instructions.

When Mizrachi asked for the loan, Riccardo Francolini, who also contributed $1 million to New Business through the company Gladden Corporation, was chairman of the board of directors of the CA.at the time of the loan.

Francolini left the El Renacer prison on payment of $100,000 on the day Marinelli arrived (June 11). He is facing other corruption charges linked to CA.

Ricardo Chanis was also on the board, ended up sharing the governing body of the company Tpach, Inc., with Mizrachi which acquired 100% of the shares of Epasa.

According to the First Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime, the loan would have been canceled with checks of companies and projects linked to the State.