Martinelli sons face Blue Apple probe

 
1,307Views 2Comments Posted 07/03/2018

THE SONS,  of former president Ricardo Martinelli, already deeply embroiled in the  Odebrecht bribery scandal and other criminal investigations are now the target of another probe.

Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares are in the sights of the Sixth Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the alleged payment of bribes by contractors to obtain State contracts in the case known as Blue Apple.

To investigate them, the prosecution has asked the  Electoral Court to lift the immunity they have after being nominated in the election of district boards of the Democratic Change (CD) Party which will be carried out from March until June,  delaying the call to justice for many high profile figures from the previous administration facing corruption charges.

La Prensa sources linked to the case said that the prosecutor Aurelio Vásquez will ask for assistance from  Switzerland and Andorra to seize accounts.

New elements have come to light in the Blue Apple case, as the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor seeks to determine whether  State contractors paid bribes to officials and people close to the past government for multi-million dollar projects.

Prosecutor Aurelio Vásquez requested the Eighteenth Criminal Court to declare the investigation complex in order to as the term it has to investigate expires on March 11.

To support his request, Vásquez appealed to Law 121 of 2013, which adopts measures to combat organized crime.

Judge Baloisa Marquínez, , will have to decide on accepting Vásquez's request.

Another of those under investigation is María Lee, wife of Jorge Ruiz, former director of Contracts Administration of the Ministry of Public Works, who is detained preventively. Lee was investigated and has a precautionary measure of periodic notification and impediment of leaving the country without judicial authorization.

The prosecution is also looking for Génesis de Gracia, a collaborator of Federico Barrios, creator of the Blue Apple scam, who is in detention. De Gracia has not been found, and the prosecution ha asked Interpol to issue an alert