Panama City, Xinhua News Agency, February 9 (Reporter Chen Haogao) Panama *** issued an announcement on the evening of the 9th local time, officially rejecting the application of former ** Ricardo Martinelli to leave the country to seek political asylum in Nicaragua.
Nicaragua *** previously sent a letter to Panama*** saying that political asylum would be granted to Martinelli and requesting that Brazil guarantee Martinelli's safe entry into Nicaraguan territory.
A spokesman for Martinelli's team said on the 9th that Martinelli has entered the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama and will "not leave" for the time being.
In a statement on the 9th, Martinelli said that Martinelli's statement in the Nigerian embassy may be regarded as Nicaragua's interference in Panama's internal affairs, which will trigger corresponding diplomatic consequences.
Last July, Martinelli was sentenced to 128 months in prison by a local Panamanian court on suspicion of money laundering. The Supreme Court of Panama rejected Martinelli's appeal earlier this month and upheld the original verdict.
Martinelli was originally scheduled to run as the candidate of the Achievement Party** for Panama** in May of this year. However, Panamanian law stipulates that candidates sentenced to more than 5 years in prison will be disqualified from running ** or vice-president.
Previous poll results have shown that Martinelli has been in the lead for a long time, and his voting intention even exceeded 50% at one point. After Martinelli's appeal was rejected, the Panamanian newspaper La Presse no longer listed him as a candidate in a poll published on the 6th of this month. According to the poll, 32 percent of respondents said they would not vote for any candidate, and 17 percent said they had not yet decided who to vote for. (ENDS).