Supreme Court rejects two Martinelli petitions

TWO petitions presented to Panama’s Supreme Court by the defense team of former President Ricardo Martinelli as part of the investigation into the alleged crime against the public administration to the detriment of the National Assistance Program (PAN ), were denied by the investigating judge, Jerome Mejia, on Wednesday June 17.

The first of these complaints by Leonardo Paul Aparicio, the former leader of the legal team, was that on several occasions they unsuccessfully requested information from Rafael Stanziola, director of PAN. “We want for the director of PAN penalty applies and which in the space of 24 hours to deliver the documentation that was requested it in a timely manner,” Paul said.
Judge Oyden Ortega, who acts as prosecutor, produced a June 8 letter addressed to Martinelli lawyer Sidney Sitton asking him to pick up the documents. to pick up the Sittón “make arrangements to take copies with a personal”.
Judge Mejia determined that the note indicates that Stanziola at PAN has effectively not refused to provide the information to the defense of Martinelli.
In fact, Mejia explained, the document even states that a PAN official would guard the records while Martinelli’s defence took copies.
The second request for the defense of Martinelli- who did not personally attended the hearing-was to protest because on January 28, the date on which the full Court decided to open a court case against Martinelli, the Electoral Tribunal (TE) issued a statement on the topic.
The same day Martinelli traveled to the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), in Guatemala, an organization of which he is deputy to report alleged persecution by President Juan Carlos Varela and ask for their privileges and immunity. Since then he has not been seen in Panama and his current whereabouts are unknown.
This claim was also rejected by Judge Mejia arguing that the defense did not specify their goals with this protest.
“The judge is to guarantee comptroller investigative actions. (The press release) is not an act of research,” said Mejia.
Martinelli is being investigated as the former director of the PAN, Giacomo Tamburrelli, declared in his statement that he hired Lerkshore International to supply dehydrated food in the public schools, by order of Martinelli.
This is the first of two cases Martinelli faces. The other is for the alleged commission of crimes against the inviolability of secrecy and privacy, for the interception of communications of 150 businessmen, journalists, leaders of civil and government opponents Martinelli society, by the National Security Council