In Chancery there is no request to extradite Martinelli

Lawyers of former President Ricardo Martinelli went yesterday to the Foreign Ministry of the Republic to be reported on an alleged request for extradition issued against the former president, but they confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not reached anything related to that topic.

"In it given case, the Foreign Ministry would be responsible for execution of the request, but here has not reached any application. What there is is an alert [sent to the police] to locate Ricardo Martinelli, but in national territory," he told the media Farah Urrutia, director of Legal Affairs of the Foreign Ministry.

Indeed, the defense of former President yesterday received a copy of the arrest warrant that produced the magistrate Jerome Mejia, investigating judge in the case for alleged punctures.

However, this document dated 11 March- -with was not addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as some media had said last Friday, but security agencies such as the National Police, the Directorate of Judicial Investigation, the National Naval Air Service and the State Border Service.

"Those who leaked this misinformation, and means that replicated have not told the truth," responded the lawyer Sidney Sitton, part of the defense of Martinelli.

Fake source

"In Chancery the attended us very carefully, and we are assured that absolutely have not received anything regarding Mr. Ricardo Martinelli", said to the media lawyer Rogelio Cruz, before leaving the meeting yesterday.

"So it is evident that the source added Cross- fueling media last Friday, was a false source".

The lawyer lamented that this kind of misinformation leads to the public a distorted picture of the process by listening alleged that follows the president Martinelli.

For example, the daily La Prensa reported on Saturday March 12 newspaper article entitled "Chancellery manages extradition of Ricardo Martinelli to the United States".

"This kind of leaks and inaccurate information are an irremediable evil of our system," said Rogelio Cruz.

Local order

But after confirmation that there is nothing related to the extradition of Ricardo Martinelli, in social networks, related government accountable in the Chancellery spread the paper red alert did send the magistrate Mejia to the security sectors, to facilitate location nationwide.

"But I do not see any effect, because everyone knows that Ricardo Martinelli is not in Panama. Everyone knows even what US city is," the lawyer Cruz.

But he concluded by saying that what we do is affected by all this is "the right to the presumption of innocence, which continues to be violated."

Linchamiento mediático

Ataques al adversario

Para el abogado Neftalí Jaén es lamentable que en pleno Siglo XXI, en Panamá estamos viviendo los linchamientos mediáticos y persecución que buscan ridiculizar al adversario político. "Martinelli es el adversario de la actual administración, y con estas noticias falsas lo que ellos buscan es llevarlo a la plaza pública y encender la hoguera", mencionó en tono metafórico. "Es lamentable que estamos viviendo aquellas antiguas prácticas en el Panamá de hoy", concluyó el jurista.

Procedimiento

Farah Urrutia explicó que la Policía no es la instancia encargada de procesar una eventual extradición, sino la Cancillería. "Y a la fecha no hay tal solicitud", reiteró la funcionaria.