- Title: Ex-Panama president's sons arrested in Guatemala on corruption charges
- Date: 7th July 2020
- Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (FILE - MARCH 24, 2014) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GENERAL VIEW OF GOVERNMENT EVENT THEN PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT RICARDO MARTINELLI AT EVENT IN MEXICO CITY (NOT A SOUNDBITE) VARIOUS OF MARTINELLI WITH THEN MEXICAN PRESIDENT ENRIQUE PENA NIETO PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (FILE - APRIL 6, 2020) (REUTERS) MARTINELLI AT EVENT FOR INAUGURATION OF PANAMA METRO SUPPORTERS AT EVENT MARTINELLI AT METRO STATION VARIOUS OF MARTINELLI AT RALLY FOR METRO STATION MARTINELLI SPEAKING AT EVENT (NOT A SOUNDBITE) MARTINELLI WALKING BY SUPPORTERS MARTINELLI SPEAKING TO MEDIA (NOT A SOUNDBITE) GENERAL VIEW OF GOVERNMENT BUILDING MARTINELLI BEFORE MEDIA MARTINELLI SPEAKING TO MEDIA (NOT A SOUNDBITE) VARIOUS OF SHIP IN PANAMA CANAL
- Embargoed: 21st July 2020 01:42
- Keywords: Guatemala Panama corruption crime former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli money laundering
- Location: GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA / MEXICO CITY, MEXICO / PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
- City: GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA / MEXICO CITY, MEXICO / PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
- Country: Guatemala
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice
- Reuters ID: LVA002CLOAVYF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Two sons of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli were arrested in Guatemala City on Monday (July 6) and face extradition to the United States on money laundering charges, Guatemalan police said.
Luis Enrique Martinelli, 38, and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli, 40, were detained at the main international airport as they attempted to board a flight to Panama, Guatemala's police said in a statement.
The two are wanted in the United States for "conspiracy to commit money laundering," according to the Guatemalan police, but for now will remain in custody in the Central American country.
The Martinelli family said in a statement it is working to ensure the sons have legal assistance in Guatemala and are able to transfer the proceedings to Panama. It did not address the charges.
Panamanian prosecutors in 2017 accused the Martinelli sons of receiving $49 million from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, which has been at the centre of a far-reaching Latin American bribery scandal, while their father was president.
Former President Martinelli and his successor, Juan Carlos Varela, were last week banned from leaving Panama while under investigation for money laundering in separate corruption cases.
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