The president of our glorious nation has not really had the opportunity yet to spin the ratification of the Free Trade Agreement as a US endorsement of his shenanigans, because of ever more shenanigans that take up all of his time. Today, we read in The Panama News, Italy issued an arrest warrant for one Valter Lavitola, who is the bagman for Silvio Berlusconi, who is a mobster and thus a good friend of Martinelli. Allegedly, bribes were paid by Mr. Lavitola to high Panamanian government officials to move them into buying Italian military toys, such as radars and helicopters and mapping services and whatnot. And these toys were bought, as you already suspected, from companies that Berlusconi owns.
And where is Valter Lavitola? In Panama of course! So now what? Well, Martinelli (who is also an Italian citizen) will have to meet with his cupola to decide what to do, because there will be an Interpol alert and request for extradition, most likely.
But leave it to Martinelli to deal with this. Lavitola will probably get asylum, just like the Excelentisimo did his other mobster-friend, Alvaro Uribe, a big favor by granting asylum to María del Pilar Hurtado, the former head of intelligence who ran an illegal wiretapping and harassment operation.
And what favor will Berlusconi do in return? How about him taking care of that nasty Noriega problem? Geopolitics, mafia style!
Wrongs don’t make rights, but if that is part of some wrongs to keep Noriega out of Panama the better.
Besides after a couple of years none of these items will work no maintenance no parts etc like all other donations and or foreign purchases.
“They just don’t get it?
Never have and never will!