Son of Panama's former president guilty of money laundering
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After indicting the son of Panama's ex-president two weeks ago, his brother pleads guilty in New York to laundering $28 million in connection with a bribery scheme.
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Ricardo Alberto Martinelli, son of Ricardo Martinelli, sitting in a car after a court hearing in Guatemala
Two sons of Panama's former President, Ricardo Martinelli, pleaded guilty in New York to laundering $28 million as part of a massive bribery scheme, which involved a Brazilian multinational construction company.
Ricardo Alberto Martinelli entered a guilty plea for acting as an intermediary for bribes given by Brazilian construction company Odebrecht to a Panamanian official, at a time when his father was president from 2009 to 2014. Luis Enrique Martinelli, his brother, had also plead guilty to the same charges on December 2nd, after being extradited from Guatemala in November.
Odebrecht’s scheme involved the payment of more than $700 million in bribes to officials and public servants in Panama and other countries to obtain business. The company pleaded guilty in 2016 to conspiracy to violate anti-bribery provisions of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Panama's former president has not yet been convicted of any crimes, but is under investigation in Panama on account of a separate Odebrecht-related investigation.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
