Judith Pena | January 27, 2023
After the United States (USA) designated former President Ricardo Martinelli as a corrupt person, various reactions have arisen about his political aspirations, one of them occurred this Friday, January 27, in an interview with Radio Panama by the lawyer Neftalí Jaén, who assured that in legal matters there is nothing that prevents him from running for political office.
Jaén assured that this declaration has several edges of analysis, one legal, another political and of course the economic one.
He said that, in legal matters, it is a case strictly linked to the United States of America, where Martinelli could perhaps present, through his team of lawyers, some type of legal action that would allow him to change the landscape.
He added that this issue could definitely move his political aspirations somewhat since it is difficult to maintain his alliance plans with the current scenario, however, he was clear that our political constitution and our electoral code, which governs the rules for general elections , the fact that you have pending legal issues with foreign legislation or with foreign powers, does not constitute an impediment to applying.
“So he does not have a formal impediment for that, but that he has two pending cases here in Panama and has a summons to trial and that he has to enter a hearing; That is if he could affect his candidacy officially before the electoral tribunal,” he indicated when explaining that the political constitution establishes that one of the impediments that can deprive a candidate of running for president is having a firm conviction by means of a final judgment.
