Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli arrived in Colombia this Saturday under political asylum, after spending 15 months sheltered in the Nicaraguan embassy to avoid serving a nearly 11-year prison sentence for money laundering. Panama’s foreign ministry announced in a statement that it had “granted the safe-conduct” for Martinelli’s “secure departure” to Colombia, after President Gustavo Petro’s government granted him asylum.
The 73-year-old right-wing former president had been staying at the Nicaraguan embassy since February 7, 2024, after his nearly 11-year sentence became final. He was convicted of using public funds to acquire a media group during his term in office (2009–2014). “Happy and content, here in Bogotá with political asylum for being a political persecuted person,” Martinelli wrote on Instagram. The message was accompanied by a photo of the former president on the street, wearing jeans, a light shirt, a coat, and a black cap, with his dog by his side.
Martinelli, owner of a supermarket chain, left the Nicaraguan embassy in a diplomatic vehicle en route to an airport, from where he flew to Colombia. Colombia’s foreign ministry confirmed in a statement that Petro granted Martinelli asylum, stating the decision is based on “Colombia’s humanitarian tradition of protecting those persecuted for political reasons,” even though Martinelli was convicted of corruption.
Frustrated Trip to Managua
In March, right-wing President José Raúl Mulino, who won the May 5, 2024 elections bolstered by Martinelli’s popularity, granted him a safe-conduct to travel to Managua. However, as Martinelli was preparing to travel, the government of Daniel Ortega refused to receive him, arguing that Panama could not guarantee he was free from an Interpol arrest warrant.
Despite his legal troubles, Martinelli remains highly popular in Panama and was the favorite to win the 2024 election but was barred from running due to his conviction. Mulino took his place as candidate. Martinelli was convicted in 2023, and the sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. The prosecution then issued an arrest warrant, but the former president sought refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy.
The Triumph of Impunity
Panamanian courts convicted Martinelli for purchasing, in 2010, most of the shares of Editora Panamá América using public funds derived from commissions on infrastructure contracts. “This is the triumph of impunity. The institution of asylum was not created so that common criminals like Martinelli can evade justice,” said Lina Vega, president of the Panama chapter of Transparency International.
“It is very regrettable that the national government granted the safe-conduct that allowed this mockery of justice,” she added. While at the Nicaraguan mission, Martinelli frequently made political statements on social media, prompting several complaints from the Panamanian government.
A fan of controversy, he also posted videos of himself exercising, grilling meat, or undergoing dental treatment. His selfies with his dog Bruno—lying in a hammock or amid jacuzzi bubbles—often went viral. Martinelli won the presidency with a strong anti-corruption platform, but after leaving office, more than a dozen of his ministers and senior officials were arrested for various scandals.
After his term ended, he was sworn in as a member of the Central American Parliament, despite once calling it a “den of thieves” for former presidents seeking immunity. In 2015, he settled in a luxurious villa in Miami, until he was extradited to Panama in 2018 over a political spying case and jailed—though he was ultimately acquitted in 2021.
He also faces trial for allegedly receiving bribes from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht—a case in which two of his sons served sentences in the U.S., where Martinelli and his family are banned from entering.
