The trial of 19 defendants in the Blue Apple case, the Panamanian version of Odebrecht, ends

He assessment In the event of “blue apple“, the Panamanian version of the conspiracy ended this Monday after two weeks of hearings, and the judge accepted the statutory 30-day period to render judgment against the nearly twenty defendants on alleged money laundering charges.

Judge Baloisa Marquínez, who presided over the case, “accepted the statutory time limit for the delivery of a sentence, equivalent to 19 defendants under law, in this proceeding,” the Judicial Branch (OJ) reported.

The main accused for blue apple“, an alleged bribery scheme linked to contracts with the state, are Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, sons of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), but their last-minute swearing-in as substitute deputies of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) He had his case forwarded to the Supreme Court (CSJ).

In Panama, by law, MPs can only be examined and tried by Supreme Court justices, who in turn can only be prosecuted by lawmakers, a system that encourages “corruption and impunity,” independent politicians and the civilian sector denounce.

This Monday, the attorneys for seven of the 19 defendants in the Second Criminal Court, led by Judge Marquínez, declared their defendants innocent and called for their acquittal.

For its part, the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office called for an “exemplary” sentence for 14 of the accused and the acquittal of two others. Some defendants reached a punitive agreement.

Among the accused “blue apple“ are the former Ministers of Public Works Federico Suárez and Jaime Ford, who held this position during the Martinelli government.

Ford and Suárez are also indicted, as are other former ministers, former President Martinelli and his two sons, in the Odebrecht case, theirs assessment will begin in Panama next September.

Martinelli’s children have already confessed in the US that they transferred $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht and paid for it in prison in the North American country.

Research “blue apple The case began in 2017. According to the State Department (MP, prosecutor’s office), the case involves “more than $82 million used for money laundering”.

During the assessment The prosecutor in the case, Aurelio Vásquez, asserted that through a penal agreement and other mechanisms, $40 million had been recovered in the case.