Martinelli Arrest Warrant Causes Increased Police Presence

The National Police increased their presence on the grounds of the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, where former president Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal is currently living.  The security establishment placed two checkpoints on the road leading to the diplomatic headquarters, with their respective tents. This happened after Judge Baloisa Marquínez issued an arrest warrant for Martinelli for the New Business case, despite Martinelli’s asylum status within a sovereign space which is considered part of Nicaragua, according to international conventions.  It has been a month since Martinelli took refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy, ​​whose government granted asylum to the businessman and politician, but the Panamanian government refuses to grant him safe passage.  The embassy has been under the eye of journalists and government security agents at this time, who have witnessed the support visits that the politician receives from supporters, friends and well-known figures in the country.