U.S. cancels Martinelli family visas
THE UNITED STATES government has canceled the entry visas of the wife and sons of ex-president Ricardo Martinelli.
Marta Linares de Martinelli, was first lady of Panama (20092014) and vice presidential candidate for the CD party in the last election.
The same decision was adopted for the visas of her sons, Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, both wanted in connection with the Odebrecht bribery scandal.
Marta Martinelli did not respond to contact requests on Friday, Jan,27 as rumors of the decision surfaced, She denied through her Twitter account that she had been at an airport recently.
“I have not gotten off any plane,” she wrote.
The Public Prosecutor has charged Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares for allegedly receiving bribes from Odebrecht for $22 million. They have also been charged in Switzerland.
Their father, the former president, has been living in Miami since January 2015, and has boasted of a triumphal return to Panama in time for the 2019 election. Meanwhile a process is in place for his extradition to Panama. His brother Mario Martinelli is also under investigation in the Odebrecht bribery case.
