US fingers former president Martinelli for corruption

Two hours after the arrival of the  sons of former Panama president  Ricardo Martinelli at Tocumen International Airport on Wednesday, January 25,  after their release from a US prison, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken  fingered the father “for his involvement in acts of significant corruption.”

“Specifically, Martinelli accepted bribes in exchange for improperly awarding government contracts during his term as president. These section 7031(c) designations make Martinelli and members of his immediate family ineligible to enter the United States,” reports a statement from the US State Department, citing Blinken’s words.

The document adds that accepting bribes in exchange for contracts for government projects undermines the integrity of Panama’s democratic institutions and fuels the perception of corruption and impunity.

A statement from the US embassy in Panama reports the “removal” of the brothers Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares, sons of the former president, from US territory and their delivery to the Panamanian authorities. This step was taken after they served a sentence in a New York jail for conspiracy to launder money from Odebrecht bribes.

In the statement, the ambassador, Mari Carmen Aponte, assures that “this will not be our last appointment in Panama.”

They also explain that the public appointment is made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2023, which provides that current and former foreign government officials for whom the secretary of State has credible information of direct or indirect participation in acts of significant corruption or flagrant violations of human rights, are not eligible to enter the United States, nor are their immediate family members.

In Panama, Martinelli is called to trial for two cases: Odebrecht and New Business while, he aspires to return to the Presidency in the May 2024 elections.

The two statements were made public almost two hours after the Martinelli Linares brothers arrived in Panama at 8:04 p.m. on United Airlines Flight 1021.

However, the authorities of the Tocumen International Airport and the National Immigration Service made sure that waiting photographers were unable to view their arrival.