Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli demanded on Saturday that Guatemala release his personal airplane, which was arrested the day earlier at the request of the United States over links to the Odebrecht corruption case
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2021) Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli demanded on Saturday that Guatemala release his personal airplane, which was arrested the day earlier at the request of the United States over links to the Odebrecht corruption case.
On Friday, Guatemala's drug police detained an aircraft which was meant to fly Martinelli's sons out of the country last summer before they were arrested and imprisoned, pending extradition to the United States. Washington wants them on money laundering charges in the infamous bribery case involving Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.
"Look at this false politically-motivated complaint to discredit our family. The plane was detained in Guatemala over an anonymous complaint by email. The inspection report stressed that it did not find anything illegal. Return what was unjustly seized. For how long will these violations continue," Martinelli said on Twitter.
In a follow-up tweet, the ex-president pointed out that the account which sent the anonymous complaint was deleted that same day, hinting that he might actually know who was behind it.
The Odebrecht case, probed since 2016, revolves around the firm's millions-worth corruption schemes engaging high-profile politicians from Latin American countries to secure lucrative contracts. The investigation has already led to the dismissal of several senior officials across the continent.
