Brazilian Witnesses Excluded from Odebrecht Case Against Martinelli

The defense of former President Ricardo Martinelli stated that the court admitted all documents from Brazil, as well as official certifications demonstrating that there was no investigation against the former president for damage to state assets, Carrillo noted. Carrillo emphasized that the absence of witnesses from Brazil directly violates the principle of contradiction, one of the fundamental pillars of due process. The exclusion of Brazilian witnesses has raised questions about the solidity of the accusation and raises questions about the development and outcome of the judicial process. Among the admitted evidence are official documents from Brazil, as well as certifications issued by the Comptroller General of the Republic and the Court of Accounts, which certify that there was no injury to state assets. 'If the witnesses do not appear, there is no contradiction and the court cannot assess those testimonies,' he reiterated. During yesterday's hearing, the Public Ministry officially confirmed that it will dispense with the testimonies of the Brazilian witnesses, whose statements substantiate a substantial part of the accusation. In his opinion, if the Prosecutor's Office does not present these testimonies, the judge cannot assess them, since the appropriate cross-examination has not been carried out. For lawyer Carlos Carrillo, defender of former President Ricardo Martinelli, the non-appearance of Brazilian witnesses has serious legal consequences. The lawyer warned that if the Tribunal grants probative value to testimonies that the defense could not confront, the right to defense would be violated. The decision was harshly questioned by the defense, which classified it as a direct violation of the right to contradiction and due process. For the defense, this omission not only weakens the credibility of the Prosecutor's Office, but also leaves the Tribunal facing a file built on evidence that cannot be contradicted in the trial. The trial for the Odebrecht case will continue to be held in Judge Baloisa Marquínez's courtroom, however, former executives of the Brazilian construction company will not appear, since, according to the prosecution, it has not been able to contact them, and they are considered a key piece to sustain its case theory. According to the defense, these documents evidence that the former President Martinelli was never investigated for a supposed injury to state assets and that the Odebrecht company did not face processes for this concept in its contracts with the Panamanian State. 'This implies that there will be no contradiction with those witnesses,' he stated. Evidence The defense of former President Martinelli was admitted 16 of the 18 presented proofs, which —they indicated— demonstrate the innocence of his client.