Bananama Republic (https://www.bananamarepublic.com/tag/money-laundering/page/4/)
After persistent accusations of money laundering, narco campaign donations and ties with drug trafficking, president Martinelli is now being implicated in arms trafficking through yet another family member, who is Panama's ambassador in Italy.
Monte Friesner's businesses are disintegrating and we learned that his incompetent lawyer, one José Luis García, spent four years in jail in a serious fraud case.
The Russian State Duma (parliament) issued a report last year in which Monte Friesner (Монте Морис Фризнер), Lawrence B. Heath (Лоренс Хиз) and their company Carlyle-Coutts Capital Corporation S.A. are accused of laundering massive amounts of stolen funds from the former Soviet Union. In Panama, the political and legal protection of Friesner's scams continues.
Yesterday the legal counsel of David Murcia, Margarita Pabon, was extradited from Colombia to the United States, on charges of money laundering. As soon as the news of her extradition became known, the server of the Public Registry in Panama "crashed"....
The picture of Salomon Shamah, who was born Colombian and naturalized Panamanian and is now minister of tourism and a key figure in Panama's relations with Israel, is part of documentation revealed by Colombian sources in which also other members of Martinelli's government are exposed. It is not clear when Colombia's security service DAS pinpointed Shamah as part of the trafficking network that supplied Colombia's various armed groups with weapons.
Minister Alma Cortés, who used to be legal counsel of Martinelli's Narco99 business empire and of Martinelli's cousin and campaign treasurer Ramon Martinelli who is in a Mexican jail because of money laundering for narcos, goes on the record saying that allegations of money laundering and corruption are actually based on official Panamanian documents!
While Martinelli continues his Noriegaesque responses to narco-allegations, there is more and more speculation about him leaving office - voluntarily or otherwise. Varela appears to be warming up already, and clearly receives better treatment from the US than his boss. And, why isn't Martinelli making his campaign finances public if he has nothing to hide?
Today in Panama City a "Peace March" was being held, and president Martinelli, just back from Spain, promised there that he would finish off violent crime in three years and turn Panama into the most secure country of Latin America. Sounds great, but it won't happen. It's actually dangerous to believe him. Here's why:
Of course it was only a matter of time before short-fused Martinelli and his government of muñecos de la mafia would take the bait that Costa Rican online paper El País has been dangling in front of their noses for over a week now, publishing allegations that connect Martinelli with money laundering, drug trafficking and wholesale corruption. And, yes! Martinelli took it hook, line and sinker and announced today that he would start legal action against the publication.
Panamanians get their news abroad as local media cover up Martinelli's ties with money laundering and drug trafficking. And, why doesn't Martinelli make his campaign finances public if there's nothing to hide?