Panama City: Panama’s police announced on Sunday that they had denied a request from the judiciary to seek an Interpol red notice for former President Ricardo Martinelli, citing international regulations that prohibit such measures against refugees or political asylum seekers.
Martinelli, who served as Panama’s president from 2009 to 2014, has been residing inside Nicaragua’s embassy in Panama City after authorities moved to arrest him following his conviction for money laundering. Last Thursday, a senior Panamanian official confirmed that the government had granted Martinelli safe passage to Nicaragua, where he has been granted asylum.
“After the legal review of the request from the judicial branch to include former President Martinelli in the Interpol database, we confirm that we have rejected the processing of said notification,” a statement from Panama’s police read.
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“It does not comply with the parameters established by Interpol since 2014, and we reaffirmed in 2017, which prohibit the issuance of red alerts on citizens who are refugees or political asylum seekers, as is the case of Mr. Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal.”
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Neither Interpol nor Martinelli’s legal representatives could be reached for comment on Sunday night. However, a spokesperson for Martinelli confirmed on social media that the request for a red alert had been officially denied.
