Another son of former Panamanian president has pleaded guilty to corruption | Money Laundering News
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Ricardo Alberto Martinelli was extradited to the United States last week from Guatemala in a case involving the Brazilian company Odebrecht.
Ricardo Martinelli, the second son of former Panamanian president, has pleaded guilty to $ 28 million in money laundering. a horrible scheme of bribery With the participation of the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht SA.
Ricardo Alberto Martinelli, 42, filed his petition in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday after being extradited from Guatemala to the United States on Friday.
His younger brother, Luis Enrique Martinelli, had followed the same path before: he was extradited From Guatemala in November and he pleaded guilty on Dec. 2, the same money laundering conspiracy count.
Odebrecht’s scheme involved paying more than $ 700 million to government officials in Panama and other countries, public officials, political parties and others. The company pleaded guilty in 2016 to conspiracy to violate the anti-corruption provisions of the U.S. Foreign Corruption Practice Act.
U.S. prosecutors say the Martinelli brothers laundered money from a close relative, who was identified as a senior Panamanian government official from 2009 to 2014.
Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli served from 2009 to 2014. He was acquitted in Panama in November for allegedly touching the phones of opponents and journalists on charges. He said he hopes to run for president again in 2024.
Dressed in a light green prison uniform, Ricardo Alberto Martinelli repeated “Yes, your honor” to questions from District Court Judge Raymond Dearie on Tuesday.
The two brothers are being held without bail.
The prosecutor said the previous attempt to reach an agreement in June 2020 failed when the brothers crossed the U.S. border, traveled to the Bahamas by boat and then boarded a private jet in an attempt to return to Panama.
When the plane was diverted due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, it ended up in several Central American countries before entering Guatemala with invalid diplomatic accreditations. They were arrested there as a result of an arrest warrant issued by New York when they tried to board a family plane to Panama.
He spent more than a year in a Guatemalan prison before being extradited to the United States.
Luis Enrique Martinelli’s 39-year-old lawyer said last month that the brothers had fled because the U.S. government had not given them protection from deportation while they were negotiating a deal.
Detainees agreed with prosecutors on Tuesday that Ricardo Alberto Martinelli could not be released on a $ 5 million bail proposal because of the way he escaped in 2020.
“This is someone who organized a getaway,” Dear said. “Actions speak louder than words.”
Ricardo Alberto Martinelli will not be tried until at least next May. In the allegation agreement, he admitted to losing nearly $ 19 million.
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