Martinelli “reflecting with no plans to return

THE FUTURE of former president Ricardo Martinelli is now in the hands of the Supreme Court where criminal complaints against him have been sent but, according to  Sidney Sitton, who heads the  team of defense lawyers, his client   has no plans to return to the country as he  is in a period of “reflection” and working on his memoirs.

Sittón said that the book will contain details of the 28 months coalition the with the Panameñista party and there will be details that remains unknown to the country

He said the Supreme Court has delayed the analysis of the record, but that his client has nothing to fear, and  the legal team is ready to face any process and that all charges have a clear political background that will be exposed.

Martinelli has been in  self-imposed exile in  Miami, Florida, since January,

The  Electoral Tribunal has notified the Supreme Court of its decision to lift Martinelli’s immunity and  he will face  criminal proceedings for alleged abnormalities in buying dehydrated food through the National Assistance Program (PAN)totaling $44.9 million which is linked to Martinelli with possible overruns in the contract.

From the time of the anti-corruption prosecutor’s  notification to the Supreme Court,, Judge Oyden Ortega, who has been assigned to the case.  has two months for pre-trial investigation.

The deadline is dictated by Law 55 of 2012 (the “shield law”), which establishes a special process to prosecute members of the Assembly and the Central American Parliament. (Parlacen). Martinelli has a seat in Parlacen, which he has described as a “den of thieves.”

In the summary is the preliminary statement of the former director of PAN, Giacomo Tamburrelli, who said that the tender for the dehydrated food was a facade, as Martinelli gave the order for the contract to be awarded to the company Lerkshore International Limited.

This is because the Law 55 of 2012, known as the “shield law” sets a special procedure for the trial of the deputies by the Supreme Court.

However, Ortega may request an extension of two months if he wishes, and have the ability to look for evidence in the process, says La Prensa.