MARTINELLI TRIAL: Protected witness ends 7days of testimony  

After seven days on the stand, the protected witness completed his statement in the trial of former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) for alleged illegal wiretapping.

At noon on      Thursday the trial court terminated the participation of this witness after the defense of the ex-president concluded with the cross-examination of the statements made to questions from the Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime.

The participation of the protected witness – a former agent of the National Security Council (CSN) – is one of the reasons why, on November 20, 2020, the Superior Court of Appeals annulled the “not guilty” ruling of August 9 of 2019, in favor of the former president, and ordered  a new trial. According to court, his testimony had not been adequately assessed.

Carlos Herrera Delegado, lawyer for Mitchell Doens, assured that with his new participation, the witness was forceful in relating the former president to the interceptions carried out between 2012 and 2014.

From his statements, according to Herrera Delegado, it was established that Ronny Rodríguez, a former CSN agent, was the person who received the instructions on who to prod or do some kind of follow-up reports La Prensa

For Herrera Delegado, the witness reinforced the theory of the case presented by the prosecution, so that now the judges Iveth Francois Vega, Jennifer Saavedra Naranjo and Marysol América Osorio have a clearer picture of how the events occurred in building 150 of Quarry Heights, where the CSN facilities operated.

The judges accepted protection measures for the witness, such as the prohibition of divulging his name, his image, his voice, and his testimony. But those close to the former president have shown videos in which they allude to this witness and try to discredit his story.

For Herrera Delegado, the witness statement made it clear that the CSN acquired three different teams to carry out the interceptions. He also explained the details of the training received to correctly handle the equipment.

In addition, most of the interceptions were directed at politicians, especially the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD).

The defense of the former president assured that during the cross-examination, the protected witness entered into contradictions and that his testimony is full of inconsistencies. Lawyer Alfredo Vallarino said that the prosecution has continued to use this witness, despite knowing that his statement contains serious inaccuracies reports La Prensa.