Panama moves to lift immunity of former president

Panama moves to lift immunity of former president
Published March 10, 2015/
EFE

Panama's Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Electoral Commission to lift the immunity from prosecution former President Ricardo Martinelli enjoys as leader of his party so he can be prosecuted for alleged acts of corruption during his 2009-2014 administration.

The Electoral Commission confirmed to Efe that it received the Supreme Court's request.
Panama's high court announced on Jan. 28 that all nine of its members had voted to hear a case against Martinelli for "alleged crimes against the public administration."

The Supreme Court wants to examine Martinelli's possible connection to alleged overpayments for food bought through the government's National Assistance Plan, or PAN, the focus of a number of ongoing corruption probes.

PAN former director Giacomo Tamburrelli - currently under house arrest - identified Martinelli as the person responsible for the signing of a $45 million contract to buy the food, which was intended for public school cafeterias.

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[center]

Ricardo Martinelli

owner of Panamanian grocery chain
before becoming President of Panama



Italian former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
friend and host of Ricardo Martinelli during his
stay in Italy, where he went when things got
hot in Panama. [/center]
Martinelli Faces Yet Another Corruption Charge, Now in Italy

Judges Rule Former Panamanian President Extorted Italian Firm Impregilo

March 13, 2015 at 9:43 am

Three judges from Nápoles, Italy, ruled on March 7 that former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) extorted and intimidated the Italian firm Impregilo into financing the construction of a pediatric hospital in Veraguas. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had promised the construction as a donation in 2010.+

Judge Giovanna Cepalluni, and her colleagues Alessandra Cataldi and Bárbara Mendia, sentenced Italian businessman Valter Lavitola to three years in prison for extortion, and claimed he “became the spokesman for Martinelli’s campaign to discredit Impregilo.”+

The ruling names Martinelli as Lavitola’s accomplice, which leaves the door open for future prosecution in Italy. The former president’s whereabouts, however, are currently unknown, having fled Panama in late January.+

In his home country, Martinelli faces allegations of inflating multimillion-dollar contracts during his administration to purchase food for a poverty relief program. Before the former president can face trial, however, the Supreme Court must remove the immunity granted by his seat in the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).+

More:
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2015/03/10/panama-moves-to-lift-immunity-former-president/