Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal GColIH (born 11 March 1951) is a Panamanian politician and businessman who served as the 36th President of Panama from 2009 to 2014.

[2] He ran on a pro-business platform, promising to cut political corruption and reduce violent crime and spent an estimated $35 million on promoting his campaign.

Though initially the favorite,[4] she was damaged in the election by her links to former military ruler Manuel Noriega[9] and by the perception that she was a "Chavista", a supporter of leftist Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

As reported by The Economist in 2012, "though it lies in Central America, the poorest and most violent region in the West, the country's 3.6m citizens are now richer than most Latin Americans.

[16] Martinelli introduced a number of measures designed to alleviate poverty, including a $100 monthly pension for the elderly, an increase in the minimum wage, and subsidies for students to meet the cost of uniforms and supplies.

This included projects like a new highway connecting Panama and Colón, the Canal expansion, construction of a new hospital and other public works intended to help reduce unemployment and poverty.

Once during his first year in office, Martinelli proposed and signed into law tax reforms to simplify filings, reduce rates, and improve collection.

A spokesperson for Fitch Group defended the tax reform "underpin[ned] the government's commitment to sustainable fiscal policies.

"[28] Martinelli also undertook efforts to strengthen the rule of law in Panama and to create greater transparency in its institutions, this had some success.

[29] According to the New York Times in 2011, " American law enforcement officials, while giving the country credit for improving its police forces and cooperation with international agencies, still consider it a major money-laundering haven."

Furthermore, they report that "In the past two years [Panama] has signed agreements with 12 countries, including the United States, to exchange tax and other information upon request, a tool to investigate financial criminals.

[30] During Martinelli's term, Panama's sovereign debt rating was upgraded to "investment grade" by Fitch, Moody's, and Standard & Poor's.

[32] The Fitch upgrade was described as "a victory for conservative President Ricardo Martinelli, who has pushed two tax reforms through Congress since taking office".

[21][36] In August 2009, the US Ambassador to Panama, Barbara J. Stephenson, wrote to the US State Department that Martinelli had asked her for wiretaps on his political opponents, and she complained of his "bullying style" and "autocratic tendencies".

Critics charged that Martinelli had requested the extradition to turn public attention away from administration scandals, an accusation denied by Panamanian government.

He was also presented with the Citation of Distinguished Alumnus award and was made an official ambassador of the State of Arkansas by Governor Mike Beebe.

[46] Ricardo and Luis Enrique are accused of having received at least 22 million dollars of the Brazilian company Odebrecht, involved in a vast scandal of corruption.

In the statements, both pointed out that Martinelli had ordered both purchases with cost overruns.53 After an investigation, the case was closed without evidence against the former president, since the Judicial Branch recognized that it could not gather elements of conviction to prove the prosecution.

Additionally, Martinelli has proceedings open for espionage and telephone interception of more than 150 people during his mandate, most of them opponents (including businessmen, independent journalists and magistrates).

Because he was still in the United States and did not attend the preliminary hearing on December 11, 2015, he was declared in "default" by the guarantee judge Jerónimo Mejía and went to the plenary session of the Supreme Court of Justice of Panama.

In May 2017, Interpol issued a red notice (request for international arrest) for the extradition of Ricardo Martinelli, installed in Miami.

[49] On August 9, 2019, a 3-judge panel declared Ricardo Martinelli not guilty, the court cleared the former president of espionage and corruption during his administration and ordered him released from house arrest.

[51] On July 18, 2023, a criminal court in Panama sentenced Martinelli to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering, relating to the "New Business" case that dates back to 2017.

[52] His conviction was upheld by the Panamanian Supreme Court on February 2, 2024, making him ineligible to run again for president in elections that he wanted to contest later in the year.

However, he later claimed that incumbent president Laurentino Cortizo was seeking to imprison and even kill him, which led him to seek refuge at the Nicaraguan embassy, with his lawyer saying that "his life was in danger.” On February 7, the Nicaraguan foreign ministry announced that it had granted Martinelli asylum on the basis of political persecution and imminent risk to his life, and called on the Panamanian government to allow his departure to Nicaragua.