Sons of ex-Panama leader arrested in Guatemala

Two sons of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli were arrested Monday in Guatemala as they tried to board a private plane out of the country.

Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli were supposedly headed to Panama with stops scheduled in El Salvador and Nicaragua, said Guatemala Interior Ministry spokesman Vinicio Pacheco.

He said there was an international order from Interpol for their arrests on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The Panamanian government seeks both for allegedly receiving more than $20 million in bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

The government initially sought their arrest in 2017.

In recent days, word circulated they were planning to return due to fears of the coronavirus.

They have denied any illegal activity.

The brothers had been detained in Florida in 2018 for immigration reasons but were released on $1 million bond for each.

Ricardo Martinelli, who governed from 2009 to 2014, was detained in the U.S. and Panama for more than two years on allegations of political espionage and misuse of public funds.

A court found him not guilty in 2019, and he was released.

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