Panama's top court deals blow to Martinelli's hopes of regaining presidency

Authorities have not issued a statement on his candidacy, but Panama's constitution bars anyone condemned to a prison sentence of five years or more from being president. Jose Isabel Blandon, who is running for vice president alongside presidential candidate Romulo Roux, said he hoped Martinelli supporters would switch their support to Roux following the court ruling, which was announced a day before the formal start of the campaign for the May election.

Panama's top court rejected former President Ricardo Martinelli's appeal to annul a nearly 11-year prison sentence, a court official said on Friday, casting doubt on the supermarket magnate's ability to remain a candidate in the May 5 election. Martinelli was sentenced to a 128-month prison term last year for money laundering in a case known as "New Business," which alleges that public funds were used to buy a media conglomerate and give him a majority stake in it.

Neither Martinelli, who was president of the Central American nation from 2009 to 2014, nor his lawyer immediately replied to a request for comment. Authorities have not issued a statement on his candidacy, but Panama's constitution bars anyone condemned to a prison sentence of five years or more from being president.

Jose Isabel Blandon, who is running for vice president alongside presidential candidate Romulo Roux, said he hoped Martinelli supporters would switch their support to Roux following the court ruling, which was announced a day before the formal start of the campaign for the May election. Martinelli said earlier this week on social media site X that he would be "happy to" pass his votes to his running mate, Jose Raul Mulino, if he is barred from seeking the presidency, arguing that his party would win under that scenario too.

Recent polls showed Martinelli leading the presidential race. One of Martinelli's lawyers, Sidney Sitton, told reporters the court's decision has a political undertone, noting that the electoral court has the last word on the status of Martinelli's candidacy.

In 2018, Martinelli spent about a year in prison on charges of political espionage during his administration, a case in which he was ultimately acquitted.

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