US extradites ex-Panama president to face charges

PANAMA CITY: Former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli has returned home to face political espionage and embezzlement charges after being extradited from the United States.

The Foreign Ministry said US officials turned Martinelli over at Panama City’s international airport after a plane carrying him from Miami landed on Monday.

US State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said in a statement that it was up to Panamanian courts to determine Martinelli’s guilt.

He had been jailed in Miami since his arrest at his home in June last year.

The 66yearold Martinelli, who was Panama’s president from 2009 to 2014, is accused of embezzlement and illegally monitoring phone calls and other communications.

He has denied the charges. Nauert said Martinelli’s extradition followed normal procedures established by the countries’ bilateral extradition treaty.

Martinelli had initially contested his extradition in the United States, but later dropped his appeals.

His wife Marta de Martinelli said he went along with the extradition because he did not feel well.

“He is returning because of a health problem,” she said.

“His lawyers are almost certain that he can get bond.”

Martinelli appeared handcuffed in photos shared by Panama’s security ministry and was transported to Renacer prison, where former strongman Manuel Noriega, who died last year, had been held. — AP