The more than 400-page court document, which names former presidents Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014), now in exile in Colombia, and Juan Carlos Varela (2014-2019), serves as a map of the system used to channel bribes, conceal their origin, and disperse the funds.
Before the court presided over by Judge Baloisa Marquinez, the main routes used to channel, conceal, and disperse the illicit funds delivered by Odebrecht as bribes were laid bare.
Among these schemes, it was revealed, was the use of shell companies for receiving and transferring funds from the Brazilian company.
These companies included Innovation Research Engineering and Development LTD., Erie Providers Corp., Deltora Enterprises, Kleinfeld Services LTD., and Meinl Bank (Antigua). It was revealed that this bank held a large number of bank accounts opened by Odebrecht’s Structured Operations Department.
The court order specifies that the Structured Operations Department operated as an autonomous unit within the company, responsible for managing, supervising, and executing the bribe payments that the construction company made in various countries, including Panama.
During the reading of the indictment, the involvement of the defendants was also outlined, including former presidential candidate Jose Domingo Arias, among others.
Regarding the hearing, the newspaper La Prensa noted that the process originated from a complaint filed on September 18, 2015, by lawyer Alvin Weeden, who died in 2023, and that the case file incorporated international legal cooperation with Brazil, as well as Odebrecht’s agreement with the US Department of Justice.
Globally, the company and its co-conspirators admitted to paying approximately $788 million in bribes in at least 12 countries, while in Panama the payments exceeded $59 million between 2010 and 2014.
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