On the morning of this Monday, September 12, the preliminary hearing of the Odebrecht case begins, in which 49 natural persons and one legal entity will have to face justice for the alleged commission of the crime of money laundering.
Said hearing is scheduled for 9:00 am with the presentation of the theory of the case by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, which will be represented by the prosecutor Ruth Morcillo, the superior prosecutor Mahamad Daud Hassan and the deputy prosecutor Olmedo Gómez.
The lawyer, journalist and international analyst, Rodrigo Noriega, explained that this preliminary hearing means the moment that the Public Ministry faces face to face with the defense attorneys or plaintiffs, those involved and will be able to present their arguments.
Once this first phase is completed, which is expected to be in two or three weeks, Judge Baloisa Marquínez will have a minimum of 30 days to make the appeal for trial.
“This hearing is like the bulletin, here what the Public Ministry has done is going to be qualified; if the Public Ministry presents something robust, substantial, the judge gives it credibility and supports that thesis and that becomes an appeal to trial, there will also be dismissal,” he said.
The lawyer emphasized that in this case there is no risk of prescription, “that would be like in 2027”, but there are minor crimes which can prescribe.
Among the natural and legal persons charged with the crime of money laundering and corruption of public servants, for whom the Prosecutor’s Office will request a summons to trial in this phase, are former presidents Ricardo Martinelli; Juan Carlos Varela and other former officials.
For another 29 defendants, the provisional (21) and definitive (8) dismissal has already been issued, said the Judicial Branch, which reiterated that the media will be able to broadcast the hearing in real time, which will last until September 30 and in which the Judge Baloisa Marquínez will listen to the arguments of the parties to decide on the call to trial.
The investigation into the Odebrecht case in Panama was opened in 2015, was filed, then reopened in 2017 and culminated in October 2018 with about 80 defendants. The file consists of 2,755 volumes with more than 1.1 million pages, the Judicial Branch specified.
The case was reopened after Odebrecht confessed in the United States that it had paid millions in bribes in a dozen countries, for which it was fined $2.6 billion.
According to the company’s confessions, in Panama more than 55 million dollars were paid in kickbacks or bribes to officials and individuals, including Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, sons of former President Martinelli.
The Martinelli brothers are serving jail time in the United States after pleading guilty there to participating “in bribe payments made by and under the direction of Odebrecht to a then-high-ranking official of the Government of Panama, who was a close relative of the accused.” , for a total of $28 million.
