Will Gustavo Petro's asylum for Ricardo Martinelli have any effect on bilateral relations with Panama?

The decision by President Gustavo Petro's government to grant asylum to former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, sentenced to ten years for corruption, would not necessarily have implications for diplomatic relations between the two countries.

This is what former Foreign Minister Julio Londoño points out, taking into account the consent of the Panamanian government.

"I don't think so. If Colombia granted him asylum considering the crime he's implicated in is political, and Panama granted him safe passage, there's no problem. It would be a different matter for the Panamanian government to object to the asylum, considering he committed common crimes," the former foreign minister told this newspaper.

But even though no diplomatic implications are anticipated, at least for now, the decision has generated a stir, especially in Panama.

According to the Foreign Ministry, which issued a statement on Saturday night, the "decision was duly communicated to the government of the neighboring country," adding that the measure "is based on observance of the pro persona principle and Colombia's humanist tradition of protecting persons persecuted for political reasons."

Martinelli, for his part, announced on Saturday night, via X, that he was already in Bogotá and thanked the government of President Gustavo Petro for the asylum.

"Happy and content to be back in Bogotá, where I received political asylum as a political refugee. A thousand thanks to the Colombian government and President Gustavo Petro for granting me this political asylum."

The former president had sought refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy since February 2024, after his conviction for using public funds to acquire a media group during his presidency was upheld.

But the news of his departure from the country didn't go down well in Panama. "This is the triumph of impunity. The institution of asylum wasn't created so that common criminals, like Martinelli, could evade justice," Lina Vega, president of the Panamanian chapter of Transparency International, told AFP. She added: "It's very regrettable that the National Government has granted him safe conduct."

While Martinelli's allies celebrated the decision, they warned that the ideal scenario would be for the former president to be free in his country. "This isn't necessarily the ideal scenario for us. Our ideal scenario is for the Court to rectify the law that was twisted to condemn him politically and for him to be free in his country, which is Panama," Luis Eduardo Camacho, the former president's spokesperson, told Telemetro Reporta.