A complaint presented Tuesday, February 6, before the General Secretariat of the National Assembly, directly implicated President Cortizo Cohen and Vice President José Gabriel Carrizo. According to Martinelli, both would be seeking to imprison and kill him.

The actions taken by Martinelli came after the Second Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of did not admit an appeal, which sought to avoid a sentence of ten years and eight months for money laundering.

President Lorentino Cortizo replied on Wednesday: “he knows perfectly well that what he has reported is totally false... and he knows it.” Cortizo Cohen did not mince words to reject the complaint and highlight the lack of veracity in Martinelli's statements.

The complaint by Martinelli, who appeared in the National Assembly accompanied by his lawyers, comes in the middle of the electoral campaign for the May elections, which began last Saturday, February 3, and will last for 90 days.

“I am aware that there are people who want to be protected witnesses and work in the presidency. Right now they are afraid for their lives because they want to kill me,” said former president Martinelli.

He recalled that years ago when he was detained, they also tried to kill him three times.

Complaints against the President of the Republic and his Vice President are analyzed and heard, as established by the Constitution, by the National Assembly.

Cortizo's statements were made during a tour of the Ngäbe-Bugle region and the province of Chiriquí.