Rope shortens as Court Rejects latest Martinelli  Gambit

Panama’s Supreme Court denied the warning of unconstitutionality that former president Ricardo Martinelli, convicted in two instances of money laundering, presented against an article of the Judicial Code.

The decision, although adopted on January 22, was known as published Edict 96.

Magistrate Cecilio Cedalise saved the vote. The rest of the plenary session supported the non-admission of the appeal, in the ruling prepared by the speaker Miriam Cheng.

The warning of unconstitutionality was presented on January 8 by lawyer Carlos Carrillo on behalf of Martinelli.

Specifically, the warning was directed against the last paragraph of article 2439 of the Judicial Code, on the requirements for the admission of appeals. The text describes what these requirements are and, in the end, states: “ When the requirements mentioned above do not meet, the Court will simply deny the admission of the appeal .”

Martinelli, who on Tuesday participated in a forum organized by TVN, said that he “had no idea” that the Court had rejected his warning.

“They deny me everything,” he remarked. With him was José Raúl Mulino, the candidate for vice president of the Republic of the Realizing Goals (RM) party, in the elections on May 5. If Martinelli is disqualified, Mulino would remain as RM’s presidential candidate.

This appeal is added to the chain of legal actions that Martinelli has filed to prevent the execution of the sentence of 128 months in prison and the payment of a fine of $19.2 million, for laundering public funds to acquire the shares. by Editora Panamá América, SA (Epasa), in December 2010, in the so-called New Business case.

The sentence was handed down last July by criminal judge Baloisa Marquínez and ratified by the Superior Court for the Settlement of Criminal Cases.

The sentence also includes the delivery of 60% of the shares of Epasa, whose beneficiary is Martinelli. The remaining 40% is already in the power of the State.

Until now, all of the appeals have been denied or inadmissible.