Former President of Panama Ricardo Martinelli Remains in Nicaraguan Embassy After Panama Denies Exit Extension

Panama’s former President Ricardo Martinelli

Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, a convicted felon granted asylum by Nicaragua, remained inside the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama as of Friday, more than a year after first entering the premises. This development followed Panama’s decision not to extend a deadline allowing him to leave the country.

Martinelli, 73, accused the Panamanian government of attempting to deceive him, describing the offer to exit as a “trap.” In a video shared on Instagram early Friday, he said, “It was a vile trap what they wanted to do to me, which on one hand was giving me a supposed way out, (while) on the other they wanted to [expletive] me, making up a bunch of things.”

Just before the deadline at midnight Thursday, Panama’s Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that no extension would be granted for Martinelli’s departure. The ministry noted that the Nicaraguan government had not responded to official communications regarding the logistics of moving Martinelli from the embassy and out of Panama. However, the Panamanian government confirmed it would continue to respect the asylum granted to Martinelli by Nicaragua.

Martinelli took refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy after Panamanian authorities issued an arrest warrant following the exhaustion of his legal appeals. He had been convicted of money laundering, sentenced to over ten years in prison, and fined $19 million. The conviction, upheld by Panama’s Supreme Court, rendered him ineligible to seek public office again.

Martinelli has consistently claimed that the charges against him were politically motivated. A prominent businessman and supermarket magnate, he governed Panama from 2009 to 2014. In 2023, he secured his party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election. Following his disqualification, he threw his support behind his running mate, current President José Raúl Mulino. At the time, Mulino suggested that Martinelli would remain on the ballot and return once the election was won.

Nicaragua granted Martinelli political asylum in February 2024, but Panama has so far refused to authorize his safe passage out of the country. With diplomatic channels seemingly stalled and Martinelli refusing to leave under current conditions, the political standoff remains unresolved.