More habeas corpus pleas for Martinelli

Lawyers wanting a say in the Ricardo Martinelli wire-tapping case keep appearing like moths around a  fading candle flame for a few minutes of fame.

Yet another habeas corpus in favor of the jailed ex-president has been presented to Panama’s Supreme Court. this time not from his team of high-end lawyers whose best shots have failed to move the plenary but from two – so far unknowns Jorge Alberto Ceballos Rodríguez and Catalino Rosas who presented their plea in a personal capacity, hoping perhaps for a lucky roll of the die.

Their bid is added to another habeas corpus filed by an Italian, citizen in favor of the former president. and will further overload a court already struggling with cases stretching back months, or even years

Martinelli is currently detained in El Renacer prison, within the process followed by the alleged commission of crimes against the inviolability of secrecy and the right to privacy, and embezzlement.

It is unknown if any of these people are linked to Martinelli’s legal team. On June 21, the plenary of the Court

rejected two habeas corpus for  Martinelli: one presented by the lawyer Roberto Rudas Herazo and another by the jurist Jaime Marchosky.

The provisional detention of Martinelli was ordered on December 21, 2015, by the plenary of the Supreme Court which on June 19  this year ratified the precautionary measure.

Martinelli was extradited from the United States on June 11, after a year behind bars and several failed attempts to avoid returning to face justice since then he has been in El Renacer.

On November 19 a hearing will be resumed in which the judge of guarantees Jerónimo Mejía will decide if the ex-ruler will be prosecuted for allegedly ordering the spying on the communications of at least 150 people, using personnel and equipment of the National Security Council. Fiscal magistrate Harry Diaz is asking for a 21-year prison sentence.