Panama complained to Nicaragua about the political activities of Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli in the Nicaraguan embassy, where he sought asylum 10 months ago to avoid going to prison, Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha reported this Wednesday.
“Last week we summoned the ambassador of Nicaragua [Consuelo Sandoval Meza]”We express our concern about the expressions that occur within the embassy,” said the Panamanian foreign minister in an interview with the Telemetro channel.
Furthermore, “we asked the Republic of Nicaragua to please make the embassy what it should always be in terms of asylum: only asylum, and not a focus for political meetings,” he added.
Martinelli, 72 years old and who governed Panama from 2009 to 2014, sought asylum on February 7 after losing the last judicial appeal to avoid serving a sentence of almost one year in prison for money laundering.
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At the embassy he gives his opinion on Panamanian issues on social networks and is frequently visited by political allies.
“We have already communicated to the ambassador the feelings of the president’s government [José Raúl] Mulino,” indicated the head of Panamanian diplomacy, who stated, however, that “social networks can be used in Panama or while in any other country.”
After entering the Nicaraguan legation, Martinelli campaigned for the May 5 elections in favor of Mulino, who replaced him as a candidate after being disqualified due to his situation with the justice system.
The previous Panamanian government refused to grant Martinelli safe passage to Nicaragua and complained to Managua for allowing the right-wing former president to campaign for his dolphin Mulino.
Mulino, who won the elections driven by the popularity of the controversial former president, has distanced himself from him after assuming power on July 1.
