PANAMA CITY (AFP) – Two sons of former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli will be arrested upon arrival in Panama if they are deported from the United States (US), the judiciary said on Monday.
The two, Luis Enrique and Ricardo Martinelli Junior, will soon finish US prison sentences for money laundering and could face immediate deportation. The two pleaded guilty last year in a New York court to helping launder USD28 million in bribery payments that the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht made to Panama, some of it through US banks.
The brothers, who hold both Panamanian and Italian citizenship, are to be released January 25, but face criminal charges along with their father for money laundering and graft in Panama as well. Their defence attorney, Carlos Carrillo, told AFP that the two brothers had paid USD14 million in bond to the Panamanian judiciary to remain free while their cases work their way through the judicial system.
Nonetheless, the judiciary said in its statement that “it is not viable to nullify the arrest warrant” against the brothers.
