Ex-president threatens he will denounce all

AN  ATTEMPT by the defense team of ex-president Ricardo Martinelli to present “in person” complaints in the National  Assembly earned  a  swift rejection  from the judge of guarantees, in the ex-president’s  wiretapping intermediate hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 29.

Martinelli entered and left the court with verbal outbursts aimed at media .

Responding to lawyer Alma Cortes  who asked  for  an authorization for Martinelli to be allowed to  make complaints against the magistrate Hernán De León and Attorney General Kenia Porcell , Judge Jerinimo Mejia said:  there was no legal authority that  allowed him to let a prisoner  out of El Renacer Penetentiary for such  a mission.

Martinelli’s request included a permit to go “in person” to the National Assembly, to the Administrative Prosecutor’s Office and the Public Ministry to present  a lawsuit against the interim president of the Supreme Court Hernán De León and Prosecutor Porcell related to   a conversation  between them that was revealed by Popcell

When he left the court to return to el Renacer , Martinelli shouted that they did not let him denounce anyone, but that he will “denounce them all”.

Earlier Carlos Carrillo, the only defense lawyer  with access to the seven booklets containing recordings and transcripts  of wiretappings  claimed that  several of the  recordings  in the were “illicitnt” and he  alleged lack of chain of custody of equipment or devices storage of the information of the alleged eavesdropping ordered by Martinelli. “The chain of custody was omitted, I think, because of the illegality of the test,” said  Carrillo.

The defender claimed that in many cases  relationship “between what is there and the signs  of proof  against Martinelli…. Do not exist”

“The evidence invoked does not correspond to the material examined in the seven booklets, “Carrillo said. “the way in which they were collected is illegal  and irrelevant because procedural principles have been violated. “

Judge Mejia adjourned the hearing until September 18, when prosecutor Harry Diaz will respond to the defense comments.