RICARDO MARTINELLI IS HOSPITALIZED IN MIAMI

Ricardo Martinelli

Members of the political party of Panama's ex-president, Ricardo Martinelli, have advised that he has been transported to a hospital in Miami, where he has been living since leaving office, after experiencing breathing problems. Panamanian media is reporting that he had a coronary blockage, and was operated on at the University of Miami Hospital complex.

 Anti-corruption prosecutors are seeking an immediate extradition to his native Panama, where he faces at least a dozen charges, including conducting illegal electronic surveillance of Opposition members, the power elite, and their spouses and paramours. Many of the victims have been extremely vocal in their demands that Martinelli face justice in a panama City courtroom.

Martinelli reportedly has attributed his condition to stress, due to the pressures imposed upon him by what he refers to as "political cases" brought against him in Panama, which have no basis in fact. He has had regular visits in Miami, from his attorney, Leonardo Paul, a former government prosecutor now in private practice. Paul leads a team seeking to avoid extradition at all costs, but a number of the dilatory ploys that he and his defense team have interposed have met with defeat to date.

Lic. Leonardo Paul

Precisely which US Government law enforcement agency sponsored Martinelli's admission to the United States, and continued presence is unknown; it may even have been an intelligence agency; Panama's former President, General Manuel Noriega, was a valued asset of the Central Intelligence Agency for years, before his regime became rabidly anti-American. Will Martinelli continue to enjoy protection from Uncle Sam, or will he be extradited to Panama, to face the music ? We cannot say, but we will be watching.