Attorney Carlos Carrillo, a member of the legal team representing former President Ricardo Martinelli in the Odebrecht case, reiterated that the only links attributed to his client in the judicial process correspond exclusively to political donations received in 2009. Carrillo explained that these contributions, which are legal, have been used as the main element with which they try to link Martinelli to the facts investigated in the Odebrecht case, despite not constituting direct proof of participation in the questioned operations. 'These political donations, as the witness Yara Campos pointed out on Tuesday, are legal and were properly registered,' the defense reiterated. The attorney also highlighted that during his testimony, expert Antonio Lim, a witness presented by the prosecution, again referred to the existence of political donations, without providing additional elements that strengthen the accusation. However, Carrillo emphasized that the content of the expert's report itself is limited to describing these financial contributions and does not establish links that can directly connect former President Ricardo Martinelli to the main operations of the Odebrecht case. Regarding the donations, witness Yara Campos explained to the court that in both 2009 and 2014, Panamanian electoral legislation allowed for contributions to be received at any time, whether for political campaigns or for the regular functioning of political parties. She specified that the only requirement established by the norm was the registration of the donations, without additional restrictions on when they could be received. Meanwhile, the judicial session was marked by new difficulties for the prosecution, which failed to present witness Olmedo Méndez, forcing it to again call on expert Antonio Lim to continue the hearing.
