Panama ex-President Ricardo Martinelli receives political asylum from Nicaragua
Panama’s former President Ricardo Martinelli has received political asylum from Nicaragua days after the country’s Supreme Court denied his appeal over a money laundering conviction that carried a 10-year sentence
PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s former President Ricardo Martinelli has received political asylum from Nicaragua days after Panama's Supreme Court denied his appeal over a money laundering conviction that carried a 10-year sentence.
Martinelli’s attorney Shirley Castañeda said outside the Nicaraguan embassy Wednesday that “his political asylum had already been granted.” Asked why Martinelli had requested asylum, she said “because his life was in danger.”
Nicaragua's Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that it granted Martinelli asylum in a statement Wednesday. It said Martinelli requested asylum on the basis of political persecution and imminent risk to his life. It called on Panama's government to allow his prompt exit to Nicaragua, to which Panama's Foreign Affairs Ministry acknowledged that it had received the advisory from Nicaragua.
Martinelli, a 71-year-old businessman and supermarket magnate who governed Panama from 2009 to 2014, wrote in a letter released and confirmed as authentic by his team that politically motivated prosecutions had forced him to seek Nicaraguan asylum.
