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Judi Lynn

(160,539 posts)
Tue Jun 20, 2017, 10:59 PM Jun 2017

U.S. prosecutors urge judge to deny former Panama President extradition

Source: Reuters

Tue Jun 20, 2017 10:09pm GMT

By Zachary Fagenson

MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. federal prosecutors on Tuesday urged a judge not to allow former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli to go free on bond as he fights extradition to his home country, saying he is a flight risk.

Attorneys for Martinelli, who has denied Panamanian prosecutors' accusation that he used public money to spy on more than 150 political rivals during his 2009-14 term, said he has lived openly in the United States for the past two years and has no plans to flee.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres said he is likely to decide within a week whether to release Martinelli, 65, who is being held in federal detention in Miami at the request of the Panamanian government.

U.S. prosecutors have said they are fulfilling a treaty obligation with Panama in requesting that Martinelli, who was arrested on June 12, continue to be held.

Read more: http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN19B2CD?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAFRICAWorldNews+%28News+%2F+AFRICA+%2F+World+News%29&&rpc=401





Ricardo Martinelli and Trump at Trump's Panama hotel





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U.S. prosecutors urge judge to deny former Panama President extradition (Original Post) Judi Lynn Jun 2017 OP
FYI The article's headline is inconsistent with the actual article.. Princess Turandot Jun 2017 #1
Headline has is backwards -nt Bradical79 Jun 2017 #2

Princess Turandot

(4,787 posts)
1. FYI The article's headline is inconsistent with the actual article..
Tue Jun 20, 2017, 11:40 PM
Jun 2017

which says in the first paragraph that the US asked that he be denied **bond**. They're arguing on behalf of the Panamanian government that he's a very serious "flight to avoid prosecution" risk. It says nothing about a US response to the extradition request itself, altho it seems unlikely they would be fighting bond if they didn't want him extradited.

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U.S. federal prosecutors on Tuesday urged a judge ***not to allow former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli to go free on bond*** as he fights extradition to his home country, saying he is a flight risk....

....U.S. prosecutors have said they are fulfilling a treaty obligation with Panama in requesting that Martinelli, who was arrested on June 12, continue to be held.

"His past behaviour suggests he would do whatever is necessary to avoid returning to Panama, including jumping bond to a third country," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Fels. "He has a massive amount of wealth that could sustain an escape to a third country where he and his family could stay in exile for decades."
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