As the Odebrecht trial in Panama enters its final stage, the defense teams of former ministers Demetrio “Jimmy” Papadimitriu and Frank De Lima have requested that their clients be acquitted, while challenging the evidence presented by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. Both former officials served in the administration of Ricardo Martinelli between 2009 and 2014.
During the closing arguments delivered on February 26, attorney Arturo Sauri, representing Papadimitriu, contended that the prosecution failed to establish his client’s participation in money laundering. The defense asserted that Papadimitriu was not involved in any commercial or contractual dealings with Odebrecht throughout his tenure as Minister of the Presidency between 2009 and 2012.
The defense detailed that the corporate entities connected to Odebrecht were directed by the former minister’s late parents, Diamantis Papadimitriu alongside María Bagatelas de Papadimitriu. Sauri indicated that these businesses participated in the lawful trade of sand. Furthermore, he dismissed the assertion that Papadimitriu held executive control concerning Line 1 of the Panama Metro, maintaining that accountability belonged to the Metro Secretariat.
The attorney also maintained that Papadimitriu had previously been investigated for facts that, according to the defense, overlap with those examined in the Odebrecht case. The request based on protection against double prosecution is connected to an investigation launched in 2015 into alleged unjustified enrichment, which ultimately resulted in a final dismissal. However, the Supreme Court had previously rejected an appeal based on similar arguments and determined that the former minister should stand trial before Judge Baloisa Marquínez.
Regarding Frank De Lima, his legal counsel, Antonio Quan, additionally petitioned for an acquittal, contending that zero tangible proof exists to demonstrate that his defendant obtained unlawful money. The defense specifically questioned the testimonies provided by José Luis Saiz Villanueva and Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos, both of whom stated to prosecutors that they had purportedly functioned as straw men for the ex-minister.
Prosecutors claim that De Lima funneled unlawful capital from Andorra into Panama utilizing Herzone Overseas Limited, Ralfim Limited, and Inversiones Joluma. Moreover, André Rabello, who formerly represented Odebrecht in Panama, stated under oath that he had reached an arrangement with both De Lima and Saiz regarding financial disbursements connected to contracts granted to the Brazilian engineering firm.
Based on evidence shown during the court proceedings, Saiz reached a deal with prosecutors and confessed to taking bribes that were supposedly meant for De Lima. Méndez, on the other hand, leveled accusations against the former minister and admitted that he signed blank documents relying entirely on the trust he had in him.
De Lima’s defense argued that the remarks made by the two individuals fail to establish that the funds were genuinely handed over to the former minister. Furthermore, Quan pointed out that Saiz appears as the ultimate beneficiary of the money routed by Odebrecht to Herzone, as opposed to De Lima. He also raised questions regarding the decision to summon Méndez to the proceedings as a witness, noting that the latter ultimately neglected to show up and give testimony.
The trial forms part of the wider legal proceeding concerning bribes that Odebrecht admitted to handing out in Panama to politicians, state officers, and straw men to secure public works contracts. The arguments put forward by the defense lawyers embody the claims of the defendants and are to be evaluated by the tribunal together with the proof introduced throughout the hearings.
Source: La Prensa Panamá — https://www.prensa.com/judiciales/papadimitriu-culpa-a-sus-padres-y-de-lima-niega-vinculos-con-testaferros-en-juicio-odebrecht/
