Defendants in New Business scandal name ex-president

Former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) has been mentioned by several defendants in the investigation of the New Business case, related to the alleged  money laundering in transactions for the purchase of Editora Panamá América, SA (Epasa), publisher of Panama America and La Critica.

The first prosecutor against Organized Crime, David Mendoza, said on Thursday. July 9 that they are analyzing ing  request the Electoral Court to lift the electoral criminal jurisdiction of the former president, who was a candidate for deputy for circuit 8-8 and for Panama  Mayor

The shield r given by the principle of specialty, under which Martinelli was extradited from the United States, and which indicates that he can only be tried in the case of eavesdropping, is also being evaluated.

One million dollars from the contract awarded in 2010 to Grupo Corcione y Asociados, SA -of Nicólas Corcione- for the construction of the new building of the National Assembly (AN) was diverted to the New Business company. revealed  Mendoza.

New Business served as a basket company to accumulate at least  $43 million that was used to buy Editora Panamá América (Epasa),

The contract to build the new Assembly was awarded to Constructora Corcione y Asociados, SA, in June 2010, when Panamanian deputy José Luis Popi Varela was president of the AN.

 Originally, the contract was $19.5 million, but  , during José Muñoz’s presidency in the Legislature, the cost rose to $22.5 million.

In  October 2010, Constructora Corcione requested an advance of $2 million, as part of a clause agreed in the contract. Later, the company asked Capital Bank to write a management check – of $1 million – in the name of Grupo Clio, SA, a company that is linked to  Nicolás and  José Corcione. As a next step, the contractor transferred the money to the New Business basket company.

The prosecution brought money laundering charges against the Corcione brothers.

According to the investigations of the Public Ministry, New Business received funds that were destined to the expansion of the Arraiján-La Chorrera highway, awarded in the Martinelli government to the  Transcribe Trading (TCT) ,  owned by the brothers  David  and  Daniel Ochy.

The Ochy brothers managed to transfer $ 3 million to at least 10 companies controlled by businessmen and merchants in the country, through bank accounts that were used to acquire the shares of the Epasa company in 2010.

The prosecutor said that on January 29, the one-year period granted to  the prosecution to continue the investigations expired, and that a request to the Eighteenth Criminal Court to grant it one more year of extension to cntinue with the investigation, has been submitted.

He explained that he requested the additional extension because several implicated parties have mentioned the name of Ricardo  Martinelli in the investigation.