Supreme Court rejects Martinelli’s 8th attempt to void jail sentence

Panama’s Supreme Court has rejected yet another protection of constitutional guarantees from former President Ricardo Martinelli in the New Business case.

 On this occasion, it was an appeal against the second instance sentence issued by the Superior Court for the Settlement of Criminal Cases, which upheld his sentence of 128 months in prison.

It is the eighth protection that the Court and the First Court of Justice have rejected to Martinelli’s lawyers, either against decisions made by Judge Baloisa Marquínez or against the magistrates of the Superior Court of Liquidations.

The ruling, was presented by Judge María Cristina Chen Stanziola and made public with edict No. 55 posted in the Court’s secretariat on Wednesday afternoon, notifying the parties of the decision made by the judges that make up the Plenary Session.  

The Amparo presented by Carlos Carrillo, from Martinelli’s team of lawyers, sought for the Court to annul the ruling issued by the Superior Settlement Court on October 24.

On that occasion, judges José Hoo Justiniani, Manuel Mata Avendaño, and Eyda Amarilis Juárez confirmed the conviction against Martinelli, Daniel Ochy, Janeth Vásquez, Valentín Martínez Vásquez and Iván Arturo Arrocha.

The Court also rejected the protection of guarantees against this resolution presented by Iván Arturo Arrocha, notified yesterday.

Martinelli’s defense also filed an appeal and a warning of unconstitutionality. Both are in process.