Martinelli owned company heading for corruption trial

The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has requested a trial for the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering by Importadora Ricamar, SA, a company controlled  by former President Ricardo Martinelli and which operates the Super 99 supermarkets and is the legal entity charged in the case of the Odebrecht   bribery scandal

On April 12, the Public Ministry (MP) reported that it requested the prosecution of 50 persons in the case.

The alleged relationship with the case of Importadora Ricamar SA -whose current president and legal representative is Alejandro Garuz Adames, according to the Public Registry- would have been known in October 2018, reports La Prensa as a result of the fact that the then Twelfth Criminal Court (today the Third Court Liquidator of Criminal Causes), in charge of Judge Óscar Carrasquilla, denied an appeal for annulment to Martinelli, alleging that he “did not observe” that the Public Ministry investigated him since the power to investigate it was held by the Supreme Court of Justice, as on that date he was a deputy of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).

At that time, the prosecution was carrying out a series of investigation procedures regarding Importadora Ricamar, SA.