Panama agrees to the passage of former President Martinelli to Nicaragua Government news

Ricardo Martinelli was convicted of laundering money in his hometown in Panama and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The Panama government agreed to a safe approval of former President Ricardo Martinelli to leave the country to Nicaragua, after that Confronting prison To launder money.

Foreign Affairs Minister Javier Martinez Aka Vasquez announced on Thursday that Martinelli will be allowed to leave, noting concerns about the health of the former president.

Martinelli has already been granted asylum by Nicaragua, and was arrested through shelter at the country’s embassy in Panama.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs in Panama refused to mention details about the health concerns faced by Martinelli.

“Given that the justice schedule of justice does not always coincide with the timetable for health, the Ministry of Foreign Relations decided to recognize the resort to Mr. Martinily Perucal by the Nicaragua government,” said Martinez-Evanzwiz.

“This asylum is recognized and safe behavior is granted for accurate humanitarian reasons.”

Martinelli, 73, has exhausted all his appeals after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for money laundering. He also received a fine of $ 19 million in the case.

The condemnation led to the end of Martinelli’s political profession. Last year, the Electoral Court in Panama ruled I cannot run In the presidential race for this year

The Panama Constitution prohibits any person who sentences a five -year criminal penalty or more. Before the ruling, however, Martinelli was considered one of the race candidates.

Martinelli has always kept his innocence. But the prosecutors successfully argued that he used his influence as president, from 2009 to 2014, to grant government contracts to companies that then transferred the money to an organization called “New Business”.

That company was a front, and the prosecutors claimed. They said Martinelli had benefited from him to buy a publishing company that controls national newspapers.

The “New Business” scandal was one of the many differences that Martinelli faced after leaving his post.

He and Sons – Luis Enrique Martinelli Lynars and Ricardo Martinelli Linares – They were also accused of participating in the Odebrecht scandal, an international corruption issue made by leaders from several countries in Latin America.

A former supermarket and the popular right -wing personality, Martinelli has been in the Embassy of Nicaragua since February 2024, where he used social media to communicate with his supporters.

Panama refused, until Thursday, his request to leave the country. However, in the period before the announcement by the Panamanian Foreign Minister that he would now be allowed to leave, Martinelli expressed concern that he may be intercepted by the country’s police.

“They must conspire against me by possessing Alfa National Police units outside the Nicaragua Embassy,” wrote on the social media platform X on Thursday.

Martinelli has until midnight March 31 to leave.