Former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli and his band of lawyers continue to push the narrative that he cannot be tried for a dozen alleged crimes including bribery, corruption and money laundering and plundering state assets because of a 1904 “specialty”  treaty with the US that says he can only be tried for the offenses that led to his extradition to Panama – illegal wiretapping and embezzlement.

He was found not guilty by a three-person tribunal, but the ruling is under appeal.

Meanwhile, Michael Kozak Acting undersecretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs in the US who has a long track record of involvement in Panama affairs has made it clear that the specialty deal does not apply to Martinelli and warns that there are “consequences” for the corrupt.

La Prensa columnist Rolando Rodriguez reports    “for the information of political dyslexics” that Kozak is no stranger to the Isthmus. Besides having been a negotiator of the Canal Treaty, he also tried to negotiate the departure of [military divtator]Manuel Antonio Noriega when he was clinging to power, in the same way, that today there are others clinging to the "specialty."

 Kozak even gave Noriega an ultimatum in 1988 to step down from power. But the general made it very clear to the gringo that his motto "Not one step back" was serious. So - more words, fewer words - Noriega fired him: I'm in charge here. Months later, Noriega realized that Kozak wasn't bluffing. Surely the   general regretted it, but it was "too late."

And since they say that history repeats itself in a spiral, it is worth remembering what Kozak, the negotiator, warned this week: “We do have consequences for individuals who are corrupt. Under US law, visas can be denied to them and their family members. Sometimes we impose sanctions to try to recover ill-gotten goods. Yes there are consequences for governments too… ”. If they did not understand this part of the interview on Radio Panama either, surely future events will open their eyes,but, as happened with Noriega, repentance will come, once again … too late