Colombian authorities have granted political asylum to former Panamanian President Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal, the country's Foreign Ministry announced.
"The President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro Urrego, has granted political asylum to former Panamanian President Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal. The decision has been duly communicated to the government of the neighboring country," said a statement from the Foreign Ministry, published on the ministry's blog on the social network X.
The Foreign Ministry stressed that the granting of asylum is based on the Colombian humane tradition and the principle of protecting persons subjected to political persecution.
“This decision upholds the pro persona principle and the humanistic tradition of Colombia for the protection of those persecuted for political reasons“, the statement said.
According to El Digital Panama, Martinelli left the Nicaraguan diplomatic mission in Panama on Saturday, May 10, and flew to Colombia.
The failed presidential candidate in the last elections was granted asylum at the Nicaraguan embassy on February 8, 2024, because he believed he was being persecuted for political reasons and saw a threat to his life and safety. The country's Supreme Court previously rejected his appeal to overturn his ten-year sentence in a corruption case.
The former president received permission from the government to travel to Nicaragua on March 27 and immediately announced that he would take advantage of it and leave the country. Panamanian police were notified on March 30 that Interpol was considering issuing a red notice for Martinelli at the request of a local judge and said it had rejected the court request due to his political refugee status.
The Nicaraguan government expressed bewilderment at the actions of Panamanian authorities, who granted the convict permission to leave and immediately requested an Interpol red notice for him, and called for the inconsistency to be resolved so they could accept the political refugee.
Former President Martinelli will face another trial in his country on money laundering charges in a corruption case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. He is also featured in the so-called "Pandora" files of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which exposed offshore companies. The investigation into the alleged involvement of a number of world leaders in offshore schemes was published in October 2021.