Fugitive Martinelli Brothers Slither Into Den Of Thieves

The  fugitive sons  of former president Ricardo Martinelli will be sworn in as alternate deputies to Central American Parliament (Parlacen)-  famously described by their father,  who sought to withdraw Panama  from the body as a “den of thieves”.

The move is part of their strategy to avoid extradition to the United States to face money laundering charges which if proved would earn them long jail sentences.

The board of directors of  the regional body has ordered  the Panamanian bench to swear in Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, as alternate deputies  although they have been on the run in the United States since  their “election”

It is unknown when and how that act would be since within the bench there would be no consensus yet to carry out the swearing-in.

The instruction is contained in a note that the Guatemalan Carlos Rafael Fion Morales, secretary of the board of directors, sent on  Tuesday, July 21, to Panamanian parliamentarians Gilberto Succari and Cirilo Salas who are also vice president and secretary -respectively- of the Parlacen board representing the Panamanian bench.

According to that letter, the Martinelli Linares brothers asked to be sworn in in a note dated July 10, four days after being arrested at the La Aurora airport in Guatemala, where Parlacen is located.

Since then, they have been detained in a military prison , awaiting extradition to the US, where they will face charges of conspiracy to launder money linked to Odebrecht.

Parlacen deputies must be sworn in by the organization’s president, in a plenary session, after obtaining the “favorable opinion” from the “extraordinary credentials commission” reports  La Prensa But the swearing-in the fugitive sons  -according to the note from the deputy Fion Morales would be done in accordance with article 19 of the Parlacen Internal Regulations, which states: “ As exceptional cases, the swearing-in of alternate deputies can be carried out by the members of the board of directors of the respective State, in a national bench session, and the corresponding administrative act must be drawn up, which must be sent immediately to the president of Parlacen.”

Since their arrest, Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique have alleged violations of their alleged parliamentary immunity.

Until now, the Palace has not spoken publicly about the situation of the brothers despite the fact that at the time of their arrest in La Aurora, both brought out a signed document, signed, by Fion Morales, which certifies that the credentials issued by the Electoral Tribunal of Panama, certify them as substitute deputies of Parlacen for the period 2019-2024, have been in the agency’s files since 2019.

In the May 2019 elections, Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique were chosen as substitutes for the main deputies Carlos Outten and Héctor Abdiel Valderrama.

The extradition process of the brothers is currently paralyzed, because of the temporary closure of the courts due to coronavirus cases in their facilities.

The US Department of Justice claims the Martinelli Linares brothers for allegedly participating as intermediaries” in receiving and paying bribes of $28 million, from Odebrecht.

” The payments would have benefited a Panamanian official, whose name has not been noted in the documents released so far, however, this official is described as “an officer with a very high position in the Panamanian government, and “a close family member” between 2009 and 2014, a period that corresponds to the mandate of  Ricardo Martinelli.