Martinelli demanded bribes from Italy court witness

PRESIDENT RICARDO MARTINELLI was named in an Italian court on Thursday May 22 as the alleged beneficiary of bribes paid by Italian companies.

The hearing in Naples involves former Italian newspaper director Valter Lavítola, who is facing charges he helped extort Italian companies for contracts in Panama. Statements were made by chief investigator Giuseppe Schiattarella, former Minister Franco Frattini and Mauro Velocci, former president of the Italian consortium Svemark.

The defense had previously requested the appearance of Martinelli. Lawyer Maurizio Paniz said a final decision has not yet been made on that request.
The first to testify was Schiattarella, who testified about intercepted phone calls in which Lavitola discussed withPanama government officials the demand that Italian companies build a hospital in Veraguas in exchange for a lucrative contract, reports La Prensa
The hospital was promised by then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi when he made a visit to Panama in June 2010.
In exchange for the hospital, the consortium Impregilo was promised a contract with the Panama Metro.
Schiattarella said that the pressure exerted by Martinelli for the hospital was done because he wanted the project built in his home province so that he could use it to impress voters.
The Italian companies refused to assume the costs of the project, which prompted Panama to threaten them with the denial of future contracts.
According to the testimony of Schiattarella, payments that were allegedly tfor President Martinelli passed through an account located in Miami owned by businessman Rogelio Oruña.
Frattini testified that the Italian government's decision to fund the hospital was due to the "humanity" of the former prime minister.
Frattini acknowledged having written to Italian companies to seek their cooperation in the construction of the hospital given that "a broken promise by the government could make Italy the model of mistrust."
As a result of the refusal to build the hospital, the contract for the construction of four modular prisons was cancelled by the Martinelli government, Velocci said.