Panama’s judiciary orders arrest of ex-president holed up in Nicaragua’s embassy

By ALMA SOLÍS
Associated Press

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panamanian authorities have ordered the arrest of former President Ricardo Martinelli who has been holed up in the Nicaraguan Embassy since receiving political asylum from that country earlier this month. A judge on Thursday approved a requested change of Martinelli’s conditional release that had stood while he appealed his 10-year sentence for a money laundering conviction. The Supreme Court denied Martinelli’s final appeal earlier this month, upholding his sentence and presumably ending his attempt at a political comeback. The change in status is unlikely to immediately result in Martinelli’s arrest since he remains inside the Nicaraguan Embassy. The government has so far refused to allow Nicaragua to move Martinelli out of the country.