RICARDO MARTINELLI GOES INTO HIDING

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~

~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

Reliable sources in the Republic of Panama have stated that the country's former president, Ricardo Martinelli, was the subject of an unsuccessful kidnapping effort, at his Miami residence, conducted by three Americans. 

The object of the operation was allegedly to return Martinelli to Panama, to face the twelve criminal charges pending against him.

As the result, the source said that Martinelli has gone into hiding, at an undisclosed location. it is important to stress that this information has not been confirmed. 

During the past several months, there has been speculation that he was a target of covert efforts to remove him from the United States, and bring him to Panama. His attorneys have resisted, upon procedural grounds, all government efforts to extradite him.

MARTINELLI'S LAWYERS SEEKS DISMISSIAL OF $44.5m CORRUPTION CHARGE ON PROCEDURAL GROUNDS

The Dream Team answer questions from journalists

Ricardo Martinelli's "Dream Team" of criminal defense lawyers continue in their efforts to delay the cases against their client, by employing procedural defenses, rather than proceeding to trial. In the PAN case, where there are massive allegations of corruption, specifically bribes and kickbacks, They assert that there were Constitutional violations, in connection with the solicitation of bank records, which was accomplished without court order.

A hearing on their defense motions to dismiss has been set for next week. The case in chief is set for trial, against co-defendants, in May. Public anger at the delays in Martinelli's dozen cases continues to increase in Panama City, and some of that has begun to focus upon Martinelli's team of attorneys, who are certainly not camera-shy, when speaking to the media in Panama. 

They have been holding what amounts to daily press conferences, to brief the media about what they claim is unfair treatment of their client.

The illegal surveillance case, whereby over 150 prominent Panamanians were subject to video surveillance, telephone and Internet taps, has generated the most public attention. There has been no effort, on behalf of his counsel, to bring in their client for the mandatory personal court appearances that are required under Panamanian law. Will Martinelli ever appear for trial ?

RICARDO MARTINELLI BLACKMAILS PANAMA

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~

~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

If you were wondering why the Government of Panama, having judicially determined some time ago that it is appropriate to extradite its former president, Ricardo Martinelli, has not followed through with the issuance of the appropriate documents, you are not alone. The answer may disturb you, but it is consistent with the country's problem: the systemic corruption, past, present & future, that Panama is drowning in.

You see, many of the members of the present, reformist government, now in power, were also either in the Martinelli administration, were linked to it, and the vast majority of the senior staff, including the sitting President, Juan Carlos Varela, also profited substantially from the use of inside information, in connection with the Petaquilla Gold Mine scandal. It's not just the Martinelli cabinet that made millions of illegal profits.

 How can the Varela government allow Martinelli to be extradited, for he has promised, if put on trial, to expose all those who are as equally guilty as he is, in taking illegal stock profits, through trading with the benefit of non-public information, in the Petaquilla Mining/Financial Pacific matter. Whether this constitutes blackmail I leave to the experts in the laws of Panama.

One source has asserted that this threat was delivered by no less than Martinelli's primary criminal defense lawyer, Leonardo Paul Aparicio, who has actively sought to quash the pending proceedings, twice, through the use of procedural objections, which most lawyers would opine were presented solely for the purposes of delay. Attorney Paul has regularly visited Martinelli, at his Miami residence, and he is thought to be the lead member of the so-called Dream Team, assembled to block all efforts to return their client to stand trial in Panama.

Leonardo Paul Aparicio

If Martinelli has evidence that shows Varela, and his senior advisers, profited handsomely from insider trading, he may never be extradited, and all the talk of reform in Panama will not result in any meaningful systemic changes, and Ricardo Martinelli will cheat justice.   

PANAMA SUPPORTS & ENCOURAGES HEZBOLLAH TO LAUNDER MONEY THROUGH PANAMA \

FROM THE - CHRONICLES of Monte Friesner – Criminal & Intelligence Analyst and Consulaire for WANTED SA~
~Contributed & Written by Kenneth Rijock ~

ARREST OF LEBANESE NATIONAL WITH $500,000 SUSPECTED OF BEING A HEZBOLLAH LAUNDRYMAN

The arrest in Panama of a Lebanese national, believed to be part of a team of money launderers working for Hezbollah, puts a spotlight on recent US Government sanctions against Western Hemisphere operations of the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) organization, thought to be sending hundreds of millions of dollars annually, to help fund its Middle Eastern activities. The money comes from narcotics trafficking, and other illicit activities.

Reliable sources in Colombia have indicated that the former Panamanian Minister of Tourism Salomón Shamah, a Colombian who is a naturalized Panamanian citizen, and a longtime reputed money launderer in Panama, is linked to the Hezbollah network. Shamah has lived in exile in Colombia since the entire Martinelli Cabinet was implicated in the Financial Pacific/Petaquilla Gold Mine insider trading scandal.

Salomón Shamah: was the money going to him ?

It is noteworthy that the suspect, identified as A. Khalifeh,who was in possession of $500,000, in cash, held a passport from Ghana. Money launderers frequently use identity documents from countries not known to be either tax havens, or countries known to be narcotics producers, or transit zones, to reduce the risk that they will be scrutinized. 

They often do not even speak the official language of the country they claim to be nationals of, which the weakness you can exploit as a compliance officer. Why does he hold a passport from a country he has no ties to ?

Perhaps the increased attention of late, on money laundering in material support of terrorism will cause compliance officers to remember that Panama is home to most of the organized Hezbollah money laundering in the region; the suspect was transiting through there, bound for Colombia. 

The fact that the Government of Panama allows Hezbollah to operate there, and to maintain an office, says a lot about the issue ; there is both Panamanian complicity in  infacilitating terrorist financing, and the passivity of US law enforcement agencies, who merely monitor it, without forcing Panama to shut it down.

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MARTINELLI ALLY DIRECTS EFFORTS TO UNSEAT PANAMANIAN GOVERNMENT FROM COLOMBIA

FROM THE - CHRONICLES Of Andrei Slavenkov Netherlands –  Analyst For Wanted SA ~ Contributed & Written By Kenneth Rijock ~

Salomón Shamah, the former Panamanian Minister of Tourism, under the former government of Ricardo Martinelli, is reportedly directing the operation who goal is the resignation of the Varela administration, or failing that, initiating a coup d'etat in Panama. 

While Shamah has avoid entering Panama of late, his wife is said to be serving as his emissary to factions within the country, seeking support among the power elite. He is one of the leaders of the movement to unseat Varela, and replace him with Martinelli.

The people of the Republic of Panama, sick of official corruption, and seeing that the much-anticipated reform movement of Varela has failed to make any significant progress, since taking office, are being bombarded with calls for his resignation. 

This movement is reportedly led by Panama's powerful Syrian Organized Crime Syndicate (whose less politically correct description is the Sephardic Group), who wish to dismantle the current leadership, under the guise of replacing a failed administration. 

In truth and in fact,  the plotters wish to enthrone a Martinelli-led coalition, which will unfortunately, place Panama back into a system featuring massive, systemic corruption.   

Shamah, a Colombian national who holds Panamanian citizenship, whose prior involvement in drug smuggling and arms trafficking, let alone ties to David Murcia/DMG, caused his US visa to be revoked, is rumored to have been engaged in money laundering of narcotics profits, of close ties to Ricardo Martinelli, and of engaging in official corruption while in office. He is known to be commanding the extralegal efforts to remove President Varela.

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