Martinelli son loses embezzlement hearing

The  Martinelli family got another legal set back last week when a judge denied an attempt to quash an embezzlement case against a fugitive son of the imprisoned ex-president Ricardo Martinelli.

the Thirteenth Criminal Judge Alina Hubiedo denied an incident of nullity presented by Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares in the investigation related to the Buko Millionario  embezzlement  case

Luis Eduardo Camacho, the defender of Martinelli Linares, took time off from trying to get the father off the hook in the Supreme Court, to allege that because an anonymous report originated the investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor it did not comply with legal requirements.

The judge – in a June 22 ruling said that  although the complaint was anonymous  it is  no less true  that there was  a possible event in which the State was involved, “by making a concession in favor of Grupo Inversión Mundial, S.A. irregularly and illegally on the subject of televised bingo, called Buko Millionairio.”

The judge added that Article 1992 of the Judicial Code states “that when an agent of The Public Ministry has knowledge by any means that a crime has been committed he, should initiate the summary investigation “.

In the ruling, the judge rejected the other argument of Martinelli Linares, that he has been denied the right to defense.

He said that through his lawyer, Martinelli Linares has presented several legal resources.

In the Buko millionairio case, the prosecution has charged six people for embezzlement. The investigation was reactivated last April, after being paralyzed for two years because of another legal intervention by Camacho.

The defendant and his brother have fled Panama and are on an Interpol red alert list in connection with multiple alleged crimes.