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Weekly Report - 26 April 2012 (WR-12-16)
PANAMA: Martinelli’s Italian ties under the spotlight
President Ricardo Martinelli is facing some of the most uncomfortable questions of his mandate. The recent arrest of Valter Lavitola, the Italian publisher of a small newspaper and unofficial aide to disgraced former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, has left Martinelli on the defensive amid claims that the Panamanian president and members of his entourage received bribes in exchange for the promise of construction contracts (which ultimately failed to materialise). Martinelli – himself of Italian descent – has long attracted attention for his relationship with both Berlusconi and Lavitola. The scandal is threatening one of the biggest crises to hit his administration since he took office in July 2009.
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