José Raúl Mulino, the stand-in presidential candidate of the Realizing Goals (RM) party, warned that if he wins the election on May 5, he will look for a way to “help” Ricardo Martinelli not serve the 128-month prison sentence he received. for money laundering.

Mulino, in an interview with Telemetro Reporta (TR) on Monday, February 19, said that he still does not know if this help will materialize through a presidential pardon or a safe passage to travel to Nicaragua.

“That is a topic that I have to study at the time, but I am going to help him. And I say this so that there are no surprises because the antecedents are in the accumulation of violations that he has suffered throughout this time. The one who likes it well and the one who doesn't like it too," said Mulino, adding that Martinelli (whose conviction for money laundering has already gone through three instances and is final) has been treated in an "embarrassing," "aberrant" and " manipulated” by the Panamanian justice system.

“That means that if you become President of the Republic, will you not allow Mr. Martinelli to serve that sentence of 10 years and 8 months in prison?” journalist and news anchor Dorcas De La Rosa asked him.

“I'm going to help him,” Mulino responded.

"That, translated, means that he is not going to comply...", the journalist insisted.

"Yes, exactly. I have no reason not to do it. I tell you sincerely. That will have to be analyzed by the lawyers at the time, to know what path to follow,” Mulino replied.

“If you win the election and if Mr. Martinelli remains holed up in the Nicaraguan embassy, ​​would you give him safe conduct?” asked TR co-host Atenógenes Rodríguez.

“Of course we do and then we'll fix it. I have to comply with what the law says. That is my position at the moment,” Mulino noted.

On February 2, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice did not admit an appeal that Martinelli's defense presented, to prevent him from serving his sentence of 128 months in prison and a fine of $19.2 million, for money laundering. capital to acquire the shares of Editora Panamá América, SA (Epasa), in December 2010.

Immediately afterward, on February 7, Martinelli entered the Nicaraguan embassy, ​​alleging that there was an alleged plan to assassinate him.

 Nicaragua has granted him political asylum, but the Panamanian Foreign Ministry has not granted him safe passage.

The Electoral Court (TE) indicated that Martinelli's disqualification as RM's presidential candidate "is in process." Once this process is completed, Mulino (whom Martinelli chose as his vice president) would be the presidential candidate.