Spanish prosecutor fingers Martinelli in $178 million bribery scam

Former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli played a central role in the payment of $178.2 million in bribes during his government  (2009-2014) said the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Spanish Civil Guard on Thursday, June 8

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor of Spain forwarded to the Central Court of Instruction No. 2 of the National Court the case that, due to corruption and money laundering, the construction company FCC is being prosecuted for the works that were awarded to it during that period.

The UCO Money Laundering Group details the works for which Martinelli and his ‘circle zero’ demanded the payment of a percentage for each contract awarded by his government.

According to the report, the multi-million sum came from surcharges for the awarded works, as well as from inflating the prices of the steel used for Line 1 of the Metro, a work that the Brazilian Odebrecht built in consortium with FCC.

In addition to several Spanish executives, in the case are Mauricio Cort, a Panamanian lawyer who, according to the prosecution, acted as an intermediary and front man, and former President Martinelli, who was included as an alleged beneficiary of the bribes after the request submitted by the Foundation Baltasar Garzon International.

According to the report, the Spanish construction company would have met the demands made by senior Martinelli officials and “channeled the payment of these bribes through the so-called ‘interlocutors’ of the government, Mauricio Cort at first, and Riccardo Francolini.

In addition, it was appreciated that “clearly there was a whole corruption scheme. “The facts investigated far exceed a merely occasional action.”

In addition to the millions paid by FCC, which in the financial network ended up in bank accounts in Switzerland and Andorra, the Spanish Civil Guard also tracked the bribes paid by two other contractors.

The investigation offers details of the transfers that originally originated from the contractors to be later laundered by intermediary companies and “supposed loans”, and end up paying for the purchase and remodeling of a luxurious apartment in Madrid negotiated by Ricardo Martinelli.

The report is explicit when pointing out that “to the detriment of the Panamanian public treasury” millions were paid to the “members of the corrupt scheme” made up of “Martinelli and the zero circle” and that one of the ways of generating funds was “the realization of addendums to the works contracts and the acceptance of surcharges”, signed by Minister Federico Suárez.

The report closely monitors dozens of bank transfers that move from companies controlled by the companies, to later move to the offices of the two lawyers and end up in European bank accounts whose final owners turn out to be members of the Martinelli family.

Luxury Apartment & yachts 
 In the investigation carried out by the UCO, details of the transfers that originally originate from the contractors are offered, to be later laundered by intermediary companies and “alleged loans”, and end up paying for the purchase and remodeling of a luxurious apartment in Madrid negotiated by Ricardo Martinelli.

The financial trail left by payments made by the contractors also appears and which, after the laundering of assets, are used for two ships that were acquired by Martinelli.