As the Odebrecht trial in Panama enters its final stage, the defense teams of former ministers Demetrio “Jimmy” Papadimitriu and Frank De Lima have requested that their clients be acquitted, while challenging the evidence presented by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. Both former officials served in the administration of Ricardo Martinelli between 2009 and 2014.
During the closing arguments delivered on February 26, attorney Arturo Sauri, representing Papadimitriu, contended that the prosecution failed to establish his client’s participation in money laundering. The defense asserted that Papadimitriu was not involved in any commercial or contractual dealings with Odebrecht throughout his tenure as Minister of the Presidency between 2009 and 2012.
The defense detailed that the corporate entities connected to Odebrecht were directed by the former minister’s late parents, Diamantis Papadimitriu alongside María Bagatelas de Papadimitriu. Sauri indicated that these businesses participated in the lawful trade of sand. Furthermore, he dismissed the assertion that Papadimitriu held executive control concerning Line 1 of the Panama Metro, maintaining that accountability belonged to the Metro Secretariat.
The attorney also maintained that Papadimitriu had previously been investigated for facts that, according to the defense, overlap with those examined in the Odebrecht case. The request based on protection against double prosecution is connected to an investigation launched in 2015 into alleged unjustified enrichment, which ultimately resulted in a final dismissal. However, the Supreme Court had previously rejected an appeal based on similar arguments and determined that the former minister should stand trial before Judge Baloisa Marquínez.
Regarding Frank De Lima, his legal counsel, Antonio Quan, additionally petitioned for an acquittal, contending that zero tangible proof exists to demonstrate that his defendant obtained unlawful money. The defense specifically questioned the testimonies provided by José Luis Saiz Villanueva and Olmedo Méndez Tribaldos, both of whom stated to prosecutors that they had purportedly functioned as straw men for the ex-minister.
Prosecutors allege that De Lima used the companies Herzone Overseas Limited, Ralfim Limited, and Inversiones Joluma to introduce illicit funds from Andorra into Panama. André Rabello, Odebrecht’s former representative in Panama, also testified that he had an agreement with De Lima and Saiz concerning payments linked to projects awarded to the Brazilian construction company.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Saiz reached an agreement with prosecutors and admitted to receiving bribes that were allegedly intended for De Lima. Méndez, meanwhile, made allegations against the former minister and acknowledged that he had signed blank documents based on the trust he placed in him.
De Lima’s defense responded that the statements made by the two men do not prove that the money was actually delivered to the former minister. Quan also pointed out that Saiz is listed as the beneficial owner of the funds transferred by Odebrecht to Herzone, rather than De Lima. He further questioned why Méndez had been summoned as a witness in the proceedings but failed to appear and testify.
The trial is part of the broader case involving bribes that Odebrecht acknowledged paying in Panama to politicians, government officials, and front men in order to secure public contracts. The positions presented by the defense teams represent the arguments of the accused and must be assessed by the court alongside the evidence submitted during the proceedings.
Source: La Prensa Panamá — https://www.prensa.com/judiciales/papadimitriu-culpa-a-sus-padres-y-de-lima-niega-vinculos-con-testaferros-en-juicio-odebrecht/