Martinelli and Oruna among star witnesses in Italy corruption case

THE NAMES of 13 witnesses to be paraded before Italian judges in the extortion trial of Valter Lavitola the coming weeks were revealed in a Naples (Italy) courtroom on Thursday, May 8.

Among them are the outgoing president of Panama Ricardo Martinelli and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. In addition, six senior businessmen including close Martinelli associate Rogelio Oruna . A diplomat and a journalist are also on the list.

Lavítola’ lawyers consider Martinelli 's and Oruna’s testimony "indispensable" as they have perfect knowledge of the facts of the cas that is being tried..

The prosecutor Vinzenzo Piscitelli , has accused Lavitoal of coercing company Impregilo executives with the incentive of future award of contracts , and abetted by government officials of Panama to finance the construction of the hospital in Veraguas an unfulfilled promise of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, currently convicted of a monumental tax evasion in Italy and sentenced to seven years in jail for having sex with an underage girl, He is appealing the sentence.
Although Lavítola is charged with extortion, in the court documents seen by La Prensa , the promise of Impregilo to bear the costs of the construction of the hospital was actually " a mask to deliver indirectly to President Martinelli, through Rogelio Oruna , , undue economic profit ."

The list of witnesses for the legal representation of Lavítola is "substantial " , as the judge Cepalloni defined , and is complete with old friends of the political and economic life of Italy, like the former Minister of Foreign Franco Frattini , the former head of the People's Bank of Milan, Impregilo president Massimo Ponzellini and Impregilo exadministrador Alberto Rubegni
The prosecution has cited as witnesses the Italian ambassador to Panama , Giancarlo Maria Curcio, the former leader of Impregilo in South America Reguzzo Luciano – and Svemark representative in Panama,  Mauro Velocci. Svemark was a company company that was to build modular prisons in several provinces , and journalist Joan Solés .
Prosecutor Piscitelli told La Prensa "The Italian legal system, states that everyone is compelled to testify in a criminal trial before a judge and answer the questions of truth to the defense and the prosecution."
In case of failure to appear in court based on the aforementioned date the witness shall report the case to the Court of Naples, which, however, shall not release the call toappear, but a new date will be set.
Prosecutors deposited at the Court of Naples court documents that they believe prove the allegations. These include wiretaps , statements condemning Lavítola , arrested letters and conversations between Impregilo, Berlusconi , the Italian Foreign Ministry and the embassy of the country in Panama .
The appearance of the deputy commander of the department of research and special operations, Giuseppe Schittarella was postponed until May 22 , the new date of hearing in the trial of Lavítola.