Ricardo Martinelli, who ruled Panama from 2009 to 2014 but fled to Florida in 2015 facing multiple corruption charges, was arrested on Monday night by U.S. Marshals at his home in Coral Gables. The Central American country sent a extradition request to the U.S. last fall. As Fast Company‘s Anna Lenzer reported in March, the extradition request highlighted the Trump administration’s potential conflicts of interest due to Martinelli’s ties to Trump.
Back in 2011, Martinelli appeared with Trump at the opening of the Ocean Club in Panama City, Trump’s first international real estate deal, where the two men affectionately praised each other. And before fleeing Panama, “Martinelli sat on the board of a bank that became the co-trustee for the Ocean Club, a role that left it in charge of managing funds coming in from rentals and sales, and of disbursing money to Trump, who gets millions in fees from the project,” reported Lenzer. The Ocean Club has been Trump’s largest individual source of branding fees, reportedly earning the Trump Organization at least $50 million on the project.
Martinelli is expected to appear before a judge for an extradition hearing. He has long denied wrongdoing. “The defense for ex-president Martinelli is going to exercise all the rights and guarantees offered under the rule of law,” his lawyer Carlos Carillo said. Carillo also described as “totally false” reports that Martinelli’s request for political asylum had been denied. Soon after Trump’s election, Martinelli seemed confident that he remained in Trump’s good graces, tweeting his congratulations and showing off an image of an invitation to an inaugural ball (though it’s unclear if he attended).
The former president was in handcuffs in court, wearing a beige suit. Lawyer Marcos Jimenez argued that Martinelli, 65, is in poor health and should be kept apart from other prisoners if not released. The judge said he should receive any necessary medical attention and remain isolated at least until his next hearing.
A complaint unsealed shortly before his hearing outlined the case against him, including allegations that he diverted $13 million from the Social Investment Fund to set up an illegal system to eavesdrop on conversations of business and political rivals, union activists, journalists, his mistress, and others.
Martinelli, aided by three people he appointed to run a covert services unit, purchased a system through an Israeli company, MLM Protection Ltd., to infiltrate phones and personal computers and monitor email and conversations.
Members of the covert unit used the system to collect damaging information that was turned over to Martinelli. He directed them to post particularly sensitive audio or video “such as a political opponent having sexual intercourse, or another political opponent being accused of infidelity by her husband” to Youtube, according to the complaint.
In Panama, lawyers on Martinelli’s defense team said Monday that the extradition process would proceed normally.
“The defense for ex-president Martinelli is going to exercise all the rights and guarantees offered under the rule of law,” said lawyer Carlos Carrillo. “It is totally false that a request for political asylum was denied.”
Prosecutors in Panama said in February they were also seeking international help in detaining two of his sons in relation to an alleged scheme to launder bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.
I laughed when the person who wrote this article says he ruled over Panama. Was he not elected by the people of Panama. Not saying he did not do illegal things, but far from being a dictator.