Five uncomfortable truths about the scandal surrounding former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli

Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) traveled to Colombia this Saturday, where he received asylum after leaving the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama, where he had been a refugee since February 2024 after being sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption.

Below are five key facts about the process that led former President Martinelli to seek asylum in Colombia:

In June 2023, Ricardo Martinelli, who had governed Panama between 2009 and 2014, officially announced his presidential candidacy for the May 2024 elections. This occurred while he was facing money laundering charges related to the irregular purchase of a media publishing house and awaiting the start of the trial in the Odebrecht case.

Martinelli was proclaimed the candidate of his new party, Realizing Goals (RM), founded in 2021, after winning a primary in which he obtained more than 96% of the vote.

However, in March 2024, Martinelli's hopes of returning to power were cut short after the Electoral Tribunal (TE) announced his disqualification as a presidential candidate for the May 5 elections of that year, in which he was the favorite, following the sentence that condemned the politician to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering.

The highest electoral authority also ruled that his running mate, José Raúl Mulino, would appear on the presidential ballot in the polling place for the Realizando Metas and Alianza parties. He would ultimately win the election and take office on July 1, 2024.

Panama's Electoral Tribunal began deliberating on the disqualification after receiving a copy of the court ruling in the "New Business" case. That ruling became final on February 2, 2024, after the court rejected its final appeal seeking to annul it.

Days later, on February 7, Martinelli sought asylum in the Nicaraguan embassy, ​​claiming that the conviction against him was political persecution to prevent him from participating in the elections.

The government of Laurentino Cortizo (2019-2024) denied the request for safe conduct and called the attention of the government of Daniel Ortega for the way in which Martinelli sought to influence politics from the Nicaraguan diplomatic headquarters.

It wasn't until last March that the government of José Raúl Mulino, who took office in July 2024, approved a first safe-conduct permit for Martinelli to travel to Nicaragua. However, the departure never materialized.

Martinelli's asylum trip to Nicaragua was thwarted at the last minute after the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo canceled it until a possible Interpol red alert against him was clarified, which Panamanian authorities had already declared nonexistent due to inadmissibility.

The Panamanian Foreign Ministry then reported that, although authorization from Managua for Martinelli to leave the embassy was expected, that approval never came.

Nicaragua, for its part, also questioned Panama's lack of support for the Central American Integration System (SICA), which Panamanian analysts and politicians described as an attempt at blackmail.

After all the commotion caused by the granting of the first safe-conduct permit, valid from March 27 to 31 and then extended for another 72 hours to formalize Martinelli's trip to Nicaragua, this time the granting of the new safe-conduct permit was kept secret and was not revealed until the former president had already left the embassy.

The Panamanian Foreign Ministry reported this Saturday that, through a note signed by President Gustavo Petro, Colombia offered asylum to the former Panamanian president, something later confirmed by Bogotá.

Shortly after, the former president arrived in Colombia.

"Here in Bogotá, granted political asylum for being a political refugee. I had no idea how beautiful Bogotá is. I thank the governments of Nicaragua and Colombia for welcoming me to their beautiful countries," Martinelli posted on social media Saturday night.