Fresh aetback for multiple crime case suspect

Riccardo Francolini the former boss of the State savings bank and a political and business ally of ex-president Ricardo Martinelli, is  facing criminal prosecution in multiple corruption cases  and has has suffered a new judicial setback  in the  Odebrecht case with the denial by the Twelfth Criminal Court of him an appeal that sought to declare void the charges made to him by the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor for alleged of corruption of public servants and money laundering.

In a ruling of January 8, 2019, Judge Óscar Carrasquilla noted that the arguments presented by the defense of Francolini are not framed within the grounds for nullity listed in Article 2294 of the Judicial Code.

Francolini’s defense argued that the due process was violated, due to charges being filed  “only because he is a shareholder of a company that is being investigated in the process.”

In its response to this appeal, the prosecution told the judge that as a result of an effective collaboration agreement, there are three payment orders issued to the company Fidcross, linked to Francolini. The payments, allegedly from Odebrecht, were sent to Fidcross on October 18, 2011, for  135,000 and two more due on March 5, 2012, for $ 500,000  and $135,000

Accomplices
The prosecution added that “it has the elements that not only prove the crime but also link its possible perpetrators or accomplices.”

Judge Carrasquilla concluded in his ruling that, as indicated by the prosecution, ” there are evidentiary elements that the Public Prosecutor considers sufficient to keep it linked to the punishable act investigated.”

On January 23, 2017, the prosecutor’s office filed the charges against Francolini for the crimes. As part of the process, the accused was favored with a $50,000 bond not to be detained was appealed by the prosecution before the Second Criminal Superior Court.