Ex-president wants money laundering case quashed
Ex-president Ricardo Martinelli wants an investigation followed by the Seventh Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office for alleged money laundering through High Spirit and Jal Offshore companies in the former Financial Pacific (FP) brokerage canceled.
Funds would have been used for the acquisition of shares of Petaquilla Minerals in Canada.
Through an Amparo of guarantees presented before the Supreme Court Martinelli attacks the decision of the Eighteenth Criminal Court to reject an incident that sought to annul the investigation, in which he is mentioned.
The Amparo claims that the Eighteenth Court violated due process by granting an extension to the prosecution to complete the investigation and conduct acts of an investigation involving Martinelli.
The appeal states that Martinelli is protected by the principle of specialty, which prevents him from being investigated for a different crime for which he was extradited from the United States (against the inviolability of secrecy and the right to privacy, and embezzlement).
In August, Eighteenth Judge Baloisa Marquínez, in resolving the petition for annulment filed by Martinelli, concluded that, the prosecutor’s office has summaries under investigation in which there are no persons charged.
In addition, the judge said that although the prosecution admits that the investigation a group of people is mentioned, including Martinelli, the investigation is not focused on him, but on persons who allegedly used privileged information to take advantage of other investors and acquire Petaquilla Minerals securities in the Canadian stock market.
Martinelli was extradited from the United States on June 11, 2018, to face a process for alleged wiretapping and embezzlement He was found not guilty by a trial court, but the decision that, however, was appealed to the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has not ruled on individual petitions filed by Martinelli in other criminal proceedings that were pending, for the alleged commission of multiple crimes.
