Ex-Panama president extradited from US on spy charges

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US authorities extradited former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli back to his country on Monday, where he faces charges of illegal wiretapping.

Martinelli, a 66-year-old supermarket tycoon, was arrested in June 2017 in Miami, Florida after Panama requested his extradition on charges that he had used public money to spy on more than 150 political rivals during his 2009-2014 administration.

The former president arrived back in Panama City on Monday after an early flight from Florida aboard a chartered plane. Local television footage showed dozens of his supporters gathered at the Tocumen international airport, waving flags of the political party he founded.

The wife of former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli, Marta Linares, speaks to the press at Howard Airport in Panama City, June 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

Earlier, a handcuffed Martinelli, escorted by US Marshals, had greeted reporters gathered to see him off at the airport in the Miami area.

"I'm ready to watch the World Cup!" he said, giving a thumbs-up.

Panamanian authorities said Martinelli will be held at the Renacer prison outside Panama City.

Martinelli has maintained his innocence and claims that he is the victim of a "vendetta" by Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, who was his former vice president.

Martinelli is under investigation in Panama in about 20 other cases of corruption, but those are not referred to in the extradition request.

Under a 1905 extradition treaty, he can only be tried in Panama for the crimes alleged in the request.

His return to Panama comes at a time of political turbulence as the country prepares for general elections in May.

Martinelli is barred by term limits from running for president before 2024, but he hopes to run for a mayorship or a congressional seat, his spokesman Luis Eduardo Camacho has said.

Panama has also submitted extradition requests for Martinelli's sons Ricardo and Luis Enrique, accused of taking $56 million in bribes from the corruption-plagued Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to facilitate contracts.

(Top picture: Former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli is escorted by US Marshals to an awaiting jet at Opa Locka airport near Miami, Florida, June 11, 2018. VCG Photo)

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters