Ex-Panama president's sons return after serving US sentence
January 26, 2023
The two sons of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli returned to Panama on Wednesday, following the completion of their jail terms in the United States for laundering millions of dollars in bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.
Both Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Ricardo Martinelli Linares arrived on Wednesday night, a spokesperson for the family said.
The brothers were sentenced to three years imprisonment in the US in May last year for conspiring to launder about $28 million (€25.66 million) in bribes.
Before their extradition to the US, they were detained in Guatemala for 23 months.
They served two and a half years in total, including time already spent in detention in Guatemala and the US before their conviction, and were released slightly ahead of completion of their terms because of good behavior, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons told AFP.
US to bar Martinelli family
The US announced on Wednesday that it will bar Martinelli and his two sons from entering the country, accusing them of corruption.
"Today we announce the designation of former Panamanian President Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal for his involvement in significant corruption," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
Martinelli "accepted bribes in exchange for improperly awarding government contracts during his tenure as the president," Blinken's statement said.
He added that the US was committed to "imposing costs" on those "who undermine democracy and the rule of law."
What is the Odebrecht bribery scandal?
The brothers are among 36 persons who will stand trial in August for the Odebrecht bribery scandal. They are accused of laundering millions of dollars in bribes paid by the Brazilian firm during their father's presidency.
Odebrecht, which has worked on 17 megaprojects in Panama since 2005, acknowledged to paying public officials at least $59 million in bribes between 2010 and 2014.
Odebrecht reported in 2016 that between 2001 and 2016, the firm and its affiliates paid bribes totaling $788 million to get contracts for almost 100 projects in Panama and 11 other nations.
It agreed to pay US authorities $3.5 billion in penalties.
Several Panamanians, including Martinelli's sons and former ministers in his administration, have been arrested in connection with the scandal.
The elder Martinelli and another former president, Juan Carlos Varela, are also awaiting trial in the case.
Martinelli, who was in office from 2009 to 2014, intends to run for re-election in the 2024 presidential elections in Panama.
ss/ar (AP, Reuters, AFP)