A son of ex-Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), extradited from Guatemala to the United States on Friday, pleaded guilty in New York to money laundering and remains in detention amid scandal corruption that splashes part of South America, AFP learned Tuesday from a judicial source.
Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares was arrested in Guatemala in 2020 at the request of the American authorities and was extradited to New York where his lawyers prepared his defense all weekend.
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"He has pleaded guilty and remains in detention,"
a spokesperson for the Brooklyn federal court prosecutor told AFP, meaning Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Linares will escape a trial in New York.
His extradition to the United States comes a month after that of his brother, Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, prosecuted on the same charges in the Odebrecht corruption case, named after a Brazilian public works company , which splashed a large part of the South American political class.
The two brothers were arrested in the summer of 2020 at Guatemala City airport as they tried to return to their country on a private humanitarian flight.
American justice demanded them because they would have allowed the payment of 28 million dollars into secret bank accounts in the name of ghost companies. Panama also wants to try the Martinelli brothers over a corruption scandal known as the “Blue Apple”, but Guatemalan law establishes that priority is given to the country that files first, in this case the United States.
Ricardo Martinelli Sr. is himself accused in the Odebrecht case.
The popular former Panamanian president has announced his intention to run for the 2024 presidential election. The Odebrecht scandal has hit many leaders and political parties in Latin America.
Former bosses of the Brazilian construction company have admitted to the court of having illegally distributed millions of dollars in bribes in exchange, in particular, for public procurement awards.