Former President of Panama Ricardo Martinelli was acquitted on Tuesday, November 9 in a case of alleged espionage against opponents of his government when he was in power, between 2009 and 2014. Ricardo Martinelli was accused of embezzling public funds to create a state spy network when he was in charge of the country.
The prosecution attributed to him in particular the wiretapping of more than 150 people, including politicians and journalists.
No evidence has been provided to support these accusations, the court of the First Judicial District of Panama ruled unanimously on Tuesday.
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“Justice, finally, was applied, seven years in this torture, in this torture. I thank God and Panamanian justice, I have suffered a lot
,
”
responded Ricardo Martinelli, 69, leaving court in Panama, amid the cheers of his supporters. Carlos Herrera Moran, one of the victims' lawyers, said for his part
"extremely disappointed"
by a decision according to him
"outside the law and the evidence presented"
.
The former head of state was found not guilty in 2019 in this case but his acquittal was overturned by an appellate court in 2020. Ricardo Martinelli was tried at first instance after his extradition from the United States on 11 June 2018, a year after his arrest in Miami where he had been living since 2015 to escape Panamanian justice.
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The billionaire, supermarket tycoon, won the presidential election in 2009 after giving a speech denouncing the political class and corruption. But once his mandate ended, the Panamanian justice investigated numerous scandals concerning him and a dozen ministers were arrested for alleged corruption. He himself has always presented himself as the victim of
"political persecution"
led by his successor, former President Juan Carlos Varela.
Ricardo Martinelli, suspected of having bought a press group during his mandate with public money, is also indicted for money laundering.
And the prosecution has brought charges against him in the Odebrecht case, a corruption scandal that has plagued many leaders and political parties in Latin America.
His sons Luis and Ricardo Martinelli Linares, in detention in Guatemala, will soon be extradited to the United States, which is claiming them in the context of this case.
