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Panama · Odebrecht case in Panama (money laundering trial)

Ricardo Martinelli: what happened in the Odebrecht case in Panama (money laundering trial) case

Former president of Panama. Panama's Public Ministry alleges that Martinelli took part in laundering Odebrecht bribe money, and Odebrecht's former Panama head André Rabello confessed that the company paid more than US$80 million to officials and others in Panama, according to EFE.

Outcome todayAs of 22 July 2026 Martinelli was a defendant in Panama's Odebrecht money laundering trial awaiting the verdict, and he had not been convicted in this case. EFE reported in January 2026 that he was living in Colombia under asylum.

Every court stage

  1. Trial began against 23 defendants, including Martinelli, after at least six postponements since 2023. Martinelli joined by video from Colombia.1Panamanian criminal court
  2. Portafolio reported on 1 March 2026 that prosecutors, in closing arguments, had asked for Martinelli to be convicted as a principal perpetrator of money laundering, seeking convictions for 16 defendants and acquittals for five2Panamanian criminal court
  3. The trial ended and Judge Baloisa Marquínez took the legal period allowed to issue her ruling, according to TVN5Panamanian criminal court (Judge Baloisa Marquínez)
  4. Panama's Supreme Court found that the trial judge had not violated Martinelli's guarantees during the trial, according to La Prensa. On 14 July 2026 TVN reported that the court had rejected another amparo petition from his defence.3,4Corte Suprema de Justicia de Panamá
  5. TVN reported that the verdict of Judge Baloisa Marquínez was still awaited5

Response

Martinelli told the court he was not responsible for money laundering, and his lawyer Carlos Carrillo said he has no connection to the facts of the case, according to EFE.

Sources

  1. Metro Puerto Rico / EFE, Histórico juicio por Odebrecht en Panamá: 23 imputados al banquillo, incluido Martinelli (EFE) (12 January 2026)
  2. Portafolio, En su fase final juicio por Odebrecht en Panamá con acusación contra Ricardo Martinelli (1 March 2026)
  3. La Prensa (Panama), Tema: Odebrecht (topic page) (27 October 2026)
  4. TVN Panamá, Caso Odebrecht: Corte Suprema rechaza otro amparo de garantías al expresidente Martinelli (14 July 2026)
  5. TVN Panamá, Tema: Baloisa Marquínez (topic page) (22 July 2026)