Martinelli acquittal highlights justice in crisis – Tranaparency International

The acquittal of former  Panama president Ricardo Martinelli, accused of political espionage and embezzlement of public funds has sent a message to the world that Panama’s judicial system is in crisis says Transparency International (TI) which lists the ex-ruler still facing multiple investigations as one of the most corrupt people in the world.

It comes at a time when the country is seeking to clean its image after numerous cases of corruption.

Martinelli was extradited from the United States, where he fled in 2015 to avoid Panamanian justice and faced a  prosecution call for  a 21-year jail sentence for spying on about 150 opponents during his administration (2009 -2014).

However, the Court, headed by a former governor appointed by Martinelli, dismissed the evidence and considered that “fundamental principles of due process were violated.”

With this ruling “what was evidenced is the deep crisis of the administration of justice,” Olga De Obaldía, executive director of the Panamanian chapter of Transparency International, told the international news agency AFP.

“These decisions highlight the rot and corruption that exists in the judicial body,” complained the inRead created by Teads

In the last four years, about 30 corruption cases have been opened in Panama, but convictions against senior officials are almost non existent. According to De Obaldía, they end up in dismissal or in “extrajudicial arrangements” between the prosecution. Martinelli himself, included by Transparency International in a list of the “most corrupt people in the world”, has multiple cases detained in the Supreme Court.

Former presidents Ernesto Pérez Balladares (1994-1999) and Martín Torrijos (2004-2009) avoided being tried for different reasons.

The ” Panama Papers ” scandal, of  a Panamanian law firm that created opaque companies to evade taxes worldwide, or the bribes of the Brazilian multinational Odebrecht have remained in impunity, despite the confessions of the company.

“What is certain is that the administration of justice has not engaged in the fight against impunity and corruption,” said Carlos Lee. president of the Citizen Alliance for Justice.

According to experts, the absence of a judicial career based on merit; The appointment of judges by magistrates of the Supreme Court, based on non-professional criteria and the absence of an independent court to monitor their actions facilitates impunity.

If you also realize that the magistrates themselves are chosen by the presidents on duty, according to their ideological or personal closeness, and that many judges work on an interim basis, which limits their independence by not having their position secured, the crisis is served, they warn.

“The king”
 Panama President, Laurentino Cortizo, has promised to reform justice and launder the international image of the country to attract investments. “We must give back to our people confidence in justice,” Cortizo said after Martinelli’s release.

He will not have it easy says AFP. A month ago, a report from the US State Department said that “corruption is rampant” in Panama.

The country also occupies position 93 (of 180 countries) in the index of corruption perception of Transparency International. “The best message is not being launched to create international investor confidence and to be recognized as a country led by a political class committed to transparency and the fight against corruption,” said Lee.

After being released, Martinelli went to a party accompanied by a Mariachi and.  sang, according to images shown on social networks: “With money or without money, I always do what I want”, from the famous Mexican song “El Rey”(The king).  While the former president celebrated his freedom, messages of disgust and dismay toward Panamanian justice multiplied, reports TVN.

“History has taught us that when we think we hit bottom, an even deeper background can come,” De Obaldio said.