Martinelli uses TE to dodge twin criminal cases

Five days after Realizing Goals (RM) will hold its elections to choose the directors of the Secretariats for Women and Youth, the president of that group, Ricardo Martinelli, notified the Electoral Court (TE) of the holding of an extraordinary national congress.

In this way, the criminal electoral jurisdiction that Martinelli currently enjoys, investigated for alleged money laundering in the New Business and Odebrecht cases, could be extended reports La Prensa.

Just one day after a bulletin from the National Directorate of Electoral Organization (DNOE) published the list of voting centers for the election in the two secretariats, next Sunday, April 24, this same entity received a note this Tuesday, signed by Martinelli himself, in which he communicates that the “vacancy” has occurred due to the resignation of several members of the RM board of directors. Therefore, he is convoking an extraordinary congress, whose calendar and regulations have not yet been decided.

Martinelli warns in his note that he is simply notifying about the celebration of these events because, as he states, the DNOE does not have the power to reject or approve the call.

Martinelli avoided the hearing of the New Business process alleging that he had criminal electoral jurisdiction due to his position as president of RM, a party that had scheduled internal elections for next May 24.

The third liquidator judge of criminal cases Baloisa Marquínez asked the TE to withdraw this legal armor, but in a resolution dated March 22, the TE magistrates Heriberto Araúz and Alfredo Juncá decided to maintain the jurisdiction, alleging that Martinelli is protected by the principle of specialty and, consequently, he avoids prosecution in the New Business and Odebrecht cases.