Panamanian electoral court bars former president Martinelli’s candidacy in May elections

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) — Panama’s Electoral Tribunal has disqualified former president Ricardo Martinelli’s candidacy in the country’s May 5 presidential election because of a 10-year prison sentence for money laundering he received last year. Martinelli, a supermarket tycoon who was president of Panama from 2009 to 2014, was convicted last July of money laundering in a case involving the purchase of a media conglomerate with public funds. Panamanian authorities last month ordered Martinelli’s arrest and the former president has been holed up in the Nicaraguan Embassy since receiving political asylum there. Magistrate Alfredo Juncá said the tribunal’s decision to disqualify his candidacy came after his sentence was upheld on Monday.