Martinelli brothers’ escape plot foiled

In coordination with United States intelligence agencies, the Guatemalan Ministry of the Interior has frustrated the escape plans of the brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares who have been held in a Guatemalan military prison since July 6, last year.

The CNN en Español journalist in Guatemala, Michelle Mendoza, was among the first to report on Thursday that the  Guatemala Minister of the Interior, Gendri Reyes, revealed that a search had been carried out at the Mariscal Zavala military prison “to stop a plan to escape” of the dons  of former President Ricardo Martinelli

The news was immediately confirmed by official Guatemalan sources, who were quoted by various local and international media, which gave more details of the story.

However, Marta Linares de Martinelli, mother of the detainees – who frequently visits them in Guatemala – denied the fact and issued a warning on Twitter: “This is totally false… There was a general search throughout the prison, which is usual there. No escape attempt, don’t make up news” reports La Prensa.

The CNN  report said,  that the operation at the military base was carried out “based on an intelligence process with international agencies with the United States because there was information that the Martinelli brothers were planning their escape from the prison. ”.

Guatemalan journalistic sources informed La Prensa that, in effect, an alert reached the prison system, which led to the strengthening of surveillance and security measures at the military base where the Martinelli Linares brothers are held awaiting resolution of an extradition request from US prosecutors to face money laundering charges.

The alert of a possible escape was received by the Ministry of the Interior through US intelligence agencies was received on Wednesday and the security of the base was reinforced since that afternoon, with members of the State security, including the Ministry of Defense. confirmed spokesperson Pablo Castillo.

He added that it was “an imminent alert of the escape of the Martinelli Linares brothers. This led to a search at 6 am Thursday through units of the National Civil Police to confirm this information.

As a result of this search in the prison, they found, for example, checks with amounts in quetzals equivalent to more than $5,000 dollars, liquor, cell phones and accessories, Wi-Fi signal repeater, drugs, antennas, weapons, etc.

The escape plan was also denied by Denis Cuesy, a lawyer for the Martinelli Linares, to the journalist Ronny Ríos, from El Periódico de Guatemala.

The alleged escape plan would have been dismantled when little more than a month has passed since a Guatemalan court authorized the extradition to the United States of Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, a decision that is currently on appeal.

According to Castillo, when the search is completed, it will be decided whether the Martinelli Linares remain at the military base or are transferred to another prison.

Meanwhile, a complaint was filed against the director of the prison.