The Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it has denied the request from the Nicaraguan government to grant safe passage for its ex-president, Ricardo Martinelli, to leave the country. This decision followed the Nicaraguan government’s move to grant asylum to Martinelli earlier this week.
Furthering its stance, the Panamanian Ministry called in the Nicaraguan Ambassador to Panama and officially rejected the request for safe passage. The authorities cited Article 1 of the 1928 Asylum Convention and the 1933 Political Asylum Convention as the rationale behind their decision. The Ministry also underscored the importance of Nicaragua avoiding interference that could influence Panamanian domestic policies, an expressly inherent principle in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Ricardo Martinelli, a prominent political figure in Panama, was sentenced to an 11-year prison term in a high-profile money laundering case known as “New Business” that began in 2017. Martinelli, despite his incarceration, is a prospective candidate for the forthcoming 2024 presidential elections. However, Panama’s Constitution disqualifies those with prison sentences of 5 years or more from running in elections. Yet, at this point, no official announcement regarding Martinelli’s potential disqualification by election authorities has been made. Martinelli sought asylum protections from Nicaraguan authorities after his appeal against his conviction was rejected by Panama’s Supreme Court.
The complete report regarding Panama’s rejection of Nicaragua’s request for safe passage for Ricardo Martinelli can be accessed here.