Ex-president of Panama excluded from election after conviction Actress defamed? Director Polanski in court in Paris

Panama’s former president and presidential candidate Ricardo Martinelli has been officially barred from the May 5 elections. The electoral court of the Central American country decided this on Tuesday evening (local time) after Martinelli’s conviction of more than ten years in prison for corruption became final. The 71-year-old entrepreneur and politician, who was in power from 2009 to 2014, has been staying at the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City for a month. Authoritarian Nicaragua granted him asylum.

Martinelli was found guilty eight months ago of money laundering in the purchase of a publishing company with public money in 2010. He is being investigated in further corruption cases. Panama’s constitution prohibits the application of candidates sentenced to more than five years in prison.

The ex-president considers himself wrongly convicted and wrote on the online platform X, formerly Twitter: “I repeat: I am innocent. This case is designed to politically disqualify me and remove me from the race.” After Martinelli’s exclusion, former vice presidential candidate José Raúl Mulino will run for the conservative party Realizando Metas (Achieve Goals). (deppen/sda/ dpa)