Public Ministry Investigates Former President Laurentino Cortizo

The Public Ministry, through the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, has initiated an investigation against former President Laurentino Cortizo and others for the alleged commission of crimes against public administration, against liberty, and against collective security.  In response to the above, the Secretary General of the Attorney General’s Office, Jorge Luis De La Torre, issued a note dated May 26 to the Senior Prosecutor for Primary Care, Adela Heidy Cedeño, in which he forwarded the criminal file identified with the number 202580010002, which contains the investigation. 

This investigation was prompted by a complaint filed by attorney Alejandro Pérez on behalf of Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal.  Former President Martinelli (2009-2014) is seeking asylum in Colombia after leaving the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, where he had been a refugee since February 2024.  Martinelli has expressed being the victim of unjust and illegal political persecution.   In Martinelli’s opinion, a case has been fabricated against him, in which all of his rights have been violated by a judicial system that delays justice.

Disqualification 

The Electoral Tribunal judges disqualified Ricardo Martinelli as a presidential candidate for the Realizing Goals and Alliance parties, even without a final ruling.  In response to this violation of his rights, Martinelli sought asylum in the Nicaraguan embassy.