Odebrecht on the map, who and where?
7:37
(CNN Spanish) --
The Panamanian Attorney General's Office reported that former presidents Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) and Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019) were called to trial for alleged money laundering in the Odebrecht case, in the that six former ministers and two sons of Martinelli, among other defendants, will also have to face justice.
In a statement, he added that after the preliminary hearing, held last September, Judge Baloisa Marquínez opened a criminal case against 35 people, who will have to go to trial and whose plenary hearing was set for August 1 to 18, 2023. not materialize, the alternate date was set for October 17 of the same year.
According to the Public Ministry of Panama, the investigation managed to establish how Odebrecht allegedly paid bribes to Panamanian officials to be awarded the construction of works.
They ask to call the former presidents of Panama Martinelli and Varela to trial for the Odebrecht case
In Panama, the crime of money laundering is punishable by imprisonment from five to 12 years.
The spokesman for Martinelli and his family, Luis Eduardo Camacho, assured, among other things, that “the alleged facts are false because it is proven that the funds for which it is intended to link former President Martinelli were political campaign donations declared before the Electoral Tribunal. ”.
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CNN asked for Martinelli's reaction to delve into his version, but there was no response.
For his part, former President Varela expressed in a statement that it is "an unfair process" and that he is "convinced of his innocence."
"All my bank, financial and asset information was revealed to the prosecution and the same prosecution found that there is no traceability of money that did not go to political campaigns," Varela said in his statement.
The Public Ministry assured that for the Odebrecht case in Panama there are 12 people sentenced by penalty agreement, and that eight effective collaboration agreements were signed, including with the Brazilian construction company and some of its executives.
Public Ministry of Panama asks the United States for "money from crimes" of children of former President Martinelli
In July 2017, the signing of an effective collaboration agreement between the Panamanian justice system and Odebrecht set the company a fine of US$220 million.
The Public Ministry explained to CNN that neither the company nor its executives are on the list of defendants or witnesses for trial purposes, because the agreements and their statements are documentary evidence.
The above was corroborated to CNN by Oswaldo Fernández, Odebrecht's lawyer in Panama, who said that they would not comment on the call to trial.
Odebrecht case Money laundering