A Panamanian court commenced legal proceedings on Monday against former president Ricardo Martinelli, who has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of receiving illicit payments from the Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht. The scandal has ensnared numerous political figures across South America.
The 73-year-old former leader, who sought refuge in Colombia last year, participated in the hearing via video link. “I am not guilty. I bear no responsibility,” Martinelli asserted during the session.
Prosecutors allege that Odebrecht funneled approximately $59 million in bribes to officials during Martinelli’s tenure from 2010 to 2014, in return for lucrative state contracts. The company admitted to these payments in a U.S. court in 2016. A conviction could result in a 12-year prison term for the former president.
Martinelli’s legal troubles are not new. In 2023, he was sentenced to a decade behind bars for money laundering, after being found guilty of using misappropriated public funds to acquire shares in the media firm Editora Panamá América.
The Odebrecht bribery scheme, which began in Brazil, stands as one of Latin America’s most significant corruption cases. In Peru, two ex-presidents are currently serving prison terms for similar offenses. Meanwhile, in Guatemala, documents reviewed by investigative partners in 2023 revealed that the company channeled millions from a Central American Bank for Economic Integration loan to bribe government officials.