A court issued an arrest warrant against former president Ricardo Martinelli, a refugee in the Nicaraguan embassy, for a conviction for money laundering, confirmed an official from the Judicial Branch of Panama.
The arrest warrant against the former president and four other people comes a day after Martinelli was disqualified by the electoral authority from running as a presidential candidate in May.
The measure comes from the Second Settlement Court for Criminal Cases, an official of the Judicial Branch with knowledge of the measure confirmed by telephone to The Associated Press but who asked not to be identified because she was not authorized to give statements on the subject.
In July, that court sentenced Martinelli to more than 10 years in prison and to pay a fine of $19.2 million for the irregular purchase of a media conglomerate at the beginning of his term (2009-2014). Four other people, including businessmen, were also convicted in the same case.
Previously, the preventive detention of Martinelli, 71, was also ordered for that case and another related to bribes delivered by the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht in Panama, two weeks after the former ruler took refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy after receiving political asylum. of the government of President Daniel Ortega.
Panama has denied him safe passage so that he can leave the diplomatic headquarters for Nicaragua.
With the disqualification of Martinelli, his running mate, former Foreign Minister José Raúl Mulino, was authorized by the Electoral Court to lead the ballot of the Realizing Goals and Alliance parties, to compete with seven other presidential candidates.
Martinelli’s collaborators harshly questioned the electoral decision, which left the former president out of the presidential race on May 5, in which he appeared as a favorite in some polls.
On the other hand, questions arose about what impact Martinelli’s departure two months before the elections would have on voting intentions.
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