Panama issues arrest warrant for former president

The Supreme Court of Panama issued on Monday a warrant for the arrest of former president Ricardo Martinelli. He was prosecuted for espionage and currently a lives abroad.

The former president is accused of illegally monitoring communications of over 150 people, including businessmen, journalists, leaders of civil society and members of the opposition.

Martinelli responded on Tuesday on his twitter account calling this judicial decision “the first round of a political trial.”

Round 1 de juicio politico: sin estar en expediente, sin imputaciòn, sin debida notificaciòn y sin condena se ordena detencion provisional.

— Ricardo Martinelli (@rmartinelli) December 22, 2015

President from 2009 to 2014, the former leader who left Panama earlier this year to the United States believes that these lawsuits are unfounded.

Clearly, the former head of state claims that in the Constitution of his country “there is no wiretapping law.”

The 63 years old businessman is also subjected to another investigation for overpricing a $45 million contract as part of a national programme to fight poverty.