Convicted businessman Cristóbal Salerno, who claimed that he delivered suitcases of cash to Ricardo Martinelli in the presidential palace has been given an extra six months to pay $290,000  of of fine days.

The payment of the fine days is to supplant his four year jail sentence for  embezzlement and corruption of public servants to the detriment of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).

According to the Judiciary, the payment agreement of fine days was granted by the First Criminal Court of Panama. The Judge of Compliance of the First Judicial Circuit of Panama,  made the decision after hearing the arguments from the lawyer of  Salerno, Nedelka Díaz; of the anticorruption discharge prosecutor, Adecio Mojica, and of the plaintiff on behalf of the MEF, Jorge Isaac Ortega.

Diaz pointed out Salerno's need to obtain an  extension of the deadline for the payment of $290,00, due to family problems, that have caused difficulties to face the debt.

While the prosecutor Mojica and the lawyer of the MEF did not oppose the request The judge  granted six more months for the payment of the fine, starting  Thursday, June 28.