Extradition fight by Panamanian to end, aide says; ex-president is UA graduate

In this Jan. 2, 2014 file photo, Panama's then President Ricardo Martinelli, center, leaves Congress after delivering his last State of the Nation address, in Panama City.
In this Jan. 2, 2014 file photo, Panama's then President Ricardo Martinelli, center, leaves Congress after delivering his last State of the Nation address, in Panama City.

PANAMA CITY -- A spokesman for former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli says the ex-leader is dropping his legal efforts against extradition from the United States to Panama.

Martinelli, who attended the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, has been jailed since his June arrest.

His spokesman, Luis Eduardo Camacho, confirmed that Martinelli made his decision known through a handwritten note from jail in Miami.

Panamanian authorities want to prosecute the 66-year-old Martinelli on embezzlement and espionage charges regarding acts against his political opponents during his 2009-2014 term in office.

The newspaper La Prensa reported that Martinelli's lawyer, Sydney Sitton, said he would inform a federal appeals court in Atlanta of his client's decision.

Martinelli earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1973 from UA and is the school's first graduate to become a head of state.

After gaining wealth as a supermarket magnate, Martinelli was elected Panama's top leader. His visible ties to UA increased after his election, as he returned to Fayetteville in 2013 to receive an honorary doctorate. That same year, he joined a volunteer advisory group for the dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Less than two weeks before his June arrest, Martinelli told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in an email that "all alleged allegations are politically motivated." He also denied involvement in corrupt payments made from Brazilian construction conglomerate Odebrecht or any other company.

After Martinelli's arrest, a federal magistrate judge in August granted an order certifying his extradition back to Panama to face charges that include embezzlement.

In December, Martinelli was "rolled off" the business dean's advisory board as Matt Waller, UA's business dean, said Martinelli had not attended a meeting of the group since 2013.

UA keeps Martinelli listed among volunteer leaders of the Campaign Arkansas fundraising drive set to end in 2020.

Gift amounts from Martinelli to UA totaled $200,000, not including a scholarship established in his name, based on gift agreements released by UA in 2017 under the state's public-disclosure law.

Information for this article was contributed by The Associated Press and by Jaime Adame of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Metro on 05/25/2018

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