Former deputy files complaint about Martinelli attack

Former deputy José Luis Popi Varela filed a complaint against Ricardo Martinelli after he attacked him on  Monday, October 11 as he was leaving the courtroom where the wiretapping trial of the former president is being heard.

Varela went to the Metropolitan Primary Care Prosecutor’s Office to report the physical and verbal attacks made by Martinelli, shortly after he concluded his testimony before the trial court.

He announced that he is also preparing a complaint. There he narrated what the country saw on social networks: the brawl between two politicians at the facilities of the Accusatory Penal System (SPA) located in Plaza Ágora. Everything happened at the end of the cross-examination of  Varela by the defense of Martinelli in the middle of the wiretapping trial of the ex-president for the wiretaps. The brother of former President Juan Carlos Varela was heading out of the court after the court officer returned his identity card. He opened the door and at that moment the ex-ruler threw a punch at him reports La Prensa.

Varela advanced went out into the corridor that leads to the courtroom and kicked Martinelli, but members of the security of the Judicial Body (OJ) and officials of the Institutional Protection Service (SPI) separated them. Martinelli continued hurling insults and Popi Varela answered him.

The incident did not end there. Instead of using the back exit of the building to leave the SPA, the former deputy went out through the main door and there a second verbal confrontation took place. Martinelli pounced on him saying: “drug dealer … I have proof of it.”

Members of the SPI and the security of the OJ intervened once more to prevent them from coming to blows.

Pity and compassion 
Varela told Martinelli: “I have pity and compassion for you.”  He alleged that Martinelli was very upset by the number of criminal proceedings he has in various jurisdictions. He said that he has his plane detained in Guatemala and that has stressed him out.

In a statement, Varela summarized his statement during the trial. He claims to have recognized 10 documentary pieces of evidence of “clear interventions and violations of his privacy and intimacy”, and of his family.

He specified that these were private conversations held in the National Assembly and said that one of them was sent to the mail of the National Security Council the same day it was held. He mentioned three emails from his family [that were intercepted] dealing with personal matters.

The note also details that a person close to Martinelli warned him that his communications were being intercepted and gave him details of how it was carried out.

After the brawl, and once the trial was restarted in the afternoon, judges Ivette Francois, Jennifer Saavedra, and Marisol Osorio called for attention to the parties so that the session was carried out with respect and good behavior. Martinelli apologized to the judges and justified his action by claiming that he reacted in this way due to the constant attacks by the Varela family.