Martinelli  faces “New Business” trial on October 31

Former Panama President, Ricardo Martinelli, will go to a preliminary hearing for the New Business case, after the third judge for the Settlement of Criminal Cases, Baloísa Marquínez, lifted the suspension of the process followed by the former president.

Judge Marquínez ordered, “the prosecution of the criminal business followed by the same crime” and set the preliminary hearing date for October 31 and alternate date for November 29.

A public defender was appointed in case of a no-show by Martinelli’s defense team.

On October 21 she called 20 people charged in the New Business case to trial.

It also provisionally dismissed another 9 people who were investigated for money laundering.

The judge denied the incidents of annulment and prescription of the criminal action presented by the defenders; she denied the request for disapproval made by the legal representative of a company; as well as the petition for definitive dismissal filed by another defense attorney. She also denied the bail review request filed in favor of one of the defendants.

On August 11, in the plenary session of the Supreme Court it was agreed by a majority to declare unconstitutional the decision of the Electoral Tribunal (TE) that maintained the criminal jurisdiction of Martinelli) for the New Business case.

The decision of the highest constitutional court, was adopted by a majority, had Judge María Eugenia López Arias as rapporteur, and had six votes in favor and three votes against,” highlights the official communication.

The ruling has its origin in a decision made by the Plenary of the Electoral Court to revoke the decision of the Second Administrative Electoral Court that at the time removed the electoral criminal jurisdiction from former President Martinelli.

The third liquidator judge of criminal cases,  Baloisa Marquínes, had requested the lifting of the electoral jurisdiction of the former president.

On February 23,  an electoral court ruled in favor of Judge Marquínez and ordered the lifting of the jurisdiction, however, the Martinelli defense filed an appeal for which the case passed to the Plenary of the Electoral Court. which is made up of the magistrates:  Heriberto Araúz, Eduardo Valdés Escoffery, and Alfredo Juncá.

Judges Araúz and Juncá voted in favor of revoking the resolution that removed Martinelli from electoral criminal jurisdiction, while Judge Escoffery saved his vote.