Panama: Martinelli's Scandal

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Panama's ex President, Ricardo Martinelli, faces the justice, after being pointed for corruption during his government from 2009 to 2014.




Last monday, Panama's Supreme Court of Justice, rejected the appellation that he posed to oppose his prosecution for embezzling USD $45 millions from a State program. At an extraordinary meeting, the Court upheld its decision to approve a process is open to prosecute Martinelli. The former president, who ruled Panama from 2009 to 2014, is at the heart of a storm of political scandals for alleged acts of corruption committed during his government.




The Court, in a statement, "flatly rejected the two reviews" that Panamanian lawyer Rogelio Cruz and Raul Gonzalez filed against the decision of January preceding "who admitted the criminal case against Martinelli for alleged crimes against the public administration"

Accordingly, the board ordered that everything agreed in late January unanimously start running: to admit knowledge of the criminal case on Martinelli for alleged crimes against public administration and ask the Electoral Court to lift the immunity that has exgobernante in his capacity as president of the opposition Democratic Change and preventing criminal prosecution.



Faced with the decision of the Court in January, the ex President traveled to Guatemala to assert his immunity as a deputy of his country to the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) and supposedly be protected against possible charges against him. However, the Guatemalan former vice president Rafael Espada, president of the regional forum, said that it is false that the Panamanian politician is exempt from prosecution for belonging to that instance. "Martinelli has no immunity. If the Panamanian parliament does not give immunity, neither give us," said Espada.






After handing the presidency to Varela, Panama has been rocked by allegations of irregularities and corruption that occurred, presumably, within five years of management Martinelli.

Colombia: Santos sends military aides to negociate FARC ceasefires

President Juan Manuel Santos, will send a top delegation of military corps to negotiate a formal ceasefire with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Santos said during a forum for Colombia's peace celebrated in Madrid, that there will be traveling six persons from the military.

After more than two years of conversations with unevenness among Bogota and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Cuba, agreements have been reached in three points: agricultural development, political participation of the guerrillas and drug trafficking cease. 

Nevertheless, there still remain two of the most delicate aspects. "We agreed that there will be discussed simultaneously the victims topic, transitional justice, which is the major issue, and the fifth point that is in fact, the cease of the conflict by a DDR: disarmament, demobilization and reimbursement" of the guerrilla to civil life, he explains.

" The cessation the definitive fire has to be negotiated under a few very clear rules, is a complex topic ", he has affirmed. For this motive " we have decided that they should be the own active military men  those who negotiate in Havana"  said the president, assuring to have informed the armed forces about the whole process of peace " inclusive in the secret phase ".

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Venezuela: Maduro imposes Visas to American Citizens

Photo Credit: NBC News

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that from now on, all Americans visiting the country must have a visa. The leader also asked to downsize the number of US embassy staff in Caracas.

“I've thought about it…First I have ordered the Foreign Ministry...to proceed immediately, to review...[and] limit the number of officials at the [US] embassy in Venezuela,” Maduro said. “They have 100 staff, we have 17.” 

“In order to protect our country...I have decided to implement a system of compulsory visas for all Americans entering Venezuela,” Maduro said in a speech on Saturday.

He claim that this is a reciprocal measure to equal what every Venezuelan needs to pay to travel to the US. While announcing this new measure, he affirmed that Venezuela has caught various american citizens involved in espionage. 

Bans Bush and Chaney 

While giving his speech he added that former US President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and Republican Congress members Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Robert Menendez, and Marco Rubio won't have access to visas, labeling Bush and Cheney as “terrorists.”

The travel bans, Maduro said, target those who “violated human rights and bombed villages as in Iraq, Syria and Vietnam.”

From now on, US diplomats will be required to seek approval from the Foreign Ministry for meetings they conduct in Venezuela.

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Venezuela to shrink Us Embassy Staff here

Maduro says Venezuela detains U.S. citizens; announces moves against U.S. here