The U.S. State Department has sanctioned on Wednesday the former president of Panama Ricardo Martinelli, accused of being involved in acts of «significant corruption».
«Martinelli accepted bribes in exchange for improperly awarding government contracts during his term as president,» explained Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who explained that the sanctions prohibit the former Panamanian leader and his immediate family from entering the United States.
«Accepting bribes for government contracts undermines the integrity of Panama’s democratic institutions and fuels perceptions of corruption and impunity,» reads a statement from the Department.
Blinken has also criticized «such acts of public corruption» because they «diminish confidence in governance and reduce the resources available for schools, hospitals, roads, and other government services.»
Washington has reaffirmed its commitment to fight corruption, «which harms the public interest, hinders the economic prosperity of countries, and reduces the ability of governments to respond effectively to the needs of their people».
Finally, Blinken has shown his support for Panamanians, democracy and the rule of law, asserting that they will promote «accountability for those who abuse public power for personal gain, regardless of their office or political affiliation».
Hours before, the former president’s sons, Ricardo and Luis Martinelli arrived in Panamanian territory, at Tocumen International Airport, in a commercial flight after serving a 36-month sentence for money laundering in the United States in the framework of the Odebrecht case, a case that implicated the construction company in an international network of corruption at an institutional level in more than a dozen Latin American countries.
Both have been released from prison early for good behavior, however, they will have to go to court in Panama to face legal proceedings for the alleged commission of money laundering.
Martinelli, who was president of the Latin American country between 2009 and 2014, leads the polls to hold the office again from 2024 with 30 percent of the votes, against 24 percent of the current president, according to the data of the pollster Gismo Services collected by ‘La Estrella’.
The former president was indicted for alleged crimes of money laundering and corruption in international transactions after the Criminal Chamber of the Audiencia Nacional admitted in April 2021 an appeal filed by the Baltasar Garzón International Foundation (FIBGAR) in this regard.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
