Expectations in Panama were running high for the brothers’ return because they will be among 36 people going on trial in August for the Odebrecht scandal. They are accused of laundering millions of dollars in bribes paid by Odebrecht during their father’s administration. Their father and another former president, Juan Carlos Varela, also await trial in the case.
The elder Martinelli hopes to run for re-election in the 2024 national elections.
Attorney General Javier Caraballo said Tuesday that his office has high expectations to see the brothers face justice in Panama.
The brothers paid about a $14 million bond in advance of their arrival to avoid being detained in Panama. They served three-year sentences in the United States for conspiring to launder about $28 million in bribes from Odebrecht.
Before being extradited to the United States, they were held in Guatemala for 23 months.
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