News
Tuesday 1st April 2025.
March 31, 2025
The Nicaraguan regime, through a statement read by Co-President Rosario Murillo , announced that it will not receive former President Ricardo Martinelli and accused the government of José Raúl Mulino of maintaining hostile behavior and blocking Nicaragua’s participation in the General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (SICA).
Murillo, in a phone call to Canal Trece , stated that Nicaraguan authorities have been “working and communicating” to understand the “complex and contradictory situation” that has developed around Martinelli, who remains in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama after receiving asylum in the Central American nation.
She also criticized the Panamanian authorities’ actions in granting Martinelli safe passage and subsequently requesting the issuance of an international red alert.
“This contradictory conduct appears to be a legal trap that seeks complicity and disloyalty that are unrelated to political behavior consistent with international conventions,” he added.
Murillo stated that, until what they described as an “inconsistency” is resolved, they will not proceed with Martinelli’s transfer to their territory, as they believe his departure could expose him to “aggressive actions” and could also generate “an international conflict that neither interests us, nor concerns us, nor belongs to us.”
Martinelli was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison for money laundering in the New Business case.
Furthermore, in February 2024, Judge Marquínez ordered his arrest to ensure his appearance at the Odebrecht trial, scheduled for November 11 to December 19 of this year. This order was issued by Judge Marquínez at the request of anti-corruption prosecutor Ruth Morcillo, “given that he has demonstrated an intention to evade Panamanian justice after being granted political asylum by the Republic of Nicaragua.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will extend the safe-conduct permit granted to former President Ricardo Martinelli for 72 hours to facilitate his asylum in Nicaragua. The new deadline expires next Thursday, April 3.
The measure comes just hours before the document’s expiration, scheduled for midnight on Monday, March 31, amid uncertainty about the former president’s fate, who is seeking to avoid serving a sentence of more than 10 years in prison for money laundering in the New Business case.
The situation took an unexpected turn after the Nicaraguan government, through a statement read by Co-President Rosario Murillo, refused to receive Martinelli.
In the message, the Nicaraguan government accused the administration of José Raúl Mulino of maintaining a hostile attitude and obstructing Nicaragua’s participation in the General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (SICA) , leaving the former president’s possible departure in limbo.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that “the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua has requested clarification regarding an apparent alert issued by Interpol, which was rejected as inadmissible pursuant to Article 2 of the Interpol Statute.”
The institution headed by Javier Martínez Acha also reported that the Supreme Court of Justice, as the highest authority of the Judiciary, stated on Monday afternoon that it has no objections, since this is a power attributed to the Executive Branch, outside the scope of the judiciary.
“Taking into account unforeseen causes and the need to have a reasonable period of time for the execution of the transfer, the National Government has decided to extend the validity of the safe conduct for an additional period of seventy-two (72) hours, until the end of Thursday, April 3, 2025,” reads the statement released on the night of Monday, March 31.
Martinelli planned to travel to Managua this Monday afternoon on his private plane. The plane was supposed to depart from Marcos A. Gelabert Airport, located in Albrook. However, Nicaragua’s position delayed the trip.
First Quantum Minerals announced this Monday, March 31, that, following talks with the Panamanian government , it has agreed to withdraw from the arbitration proceedings before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). It also agreed to suspend arbitration under the Free Trade Agreement.
“The company reiterates its commitment to dialogue with the Government of Panama and to being part of a solution for the country and the Panamanian people,” the company stated in a statement posted on social media.
On March 13, 2025, President José Raúl Mulino announced that his government would address the future of the copper mine and that it would be done with “responsibility” and taking into account the protection of national interests.
On that occasion, the president also noted that, following the mine’s closure, there are at least seven arbitration proceedings pending, in which several thousand dollars are being claimed.
It is worth mentioning that on November 28, 2023, the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) declared contract law No. 406 unconstitutional , leaving without effect the concession to Minera Panamá SA, a subsidiary of First Quantum, to operate Cobre Panamá.
In February of this year, the Canadian company had announced that the arbitration process would be postponed until 2026, at the request of the Panamanian government, due to a change in external legal counsel.
The Stward Agency, Inc. company was left without a concession contract on the Amador Causeway , after failing to obtain a permit in compatibility with the Canal’s operations to operate a floating barge that would serve as a passenger dock .
As a result, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) ordered it to vacate the 2,000 square meter area of seabed on Perico Island , which it has managed for years under the commercial name of Dolphin Terminal , despite not having a current contract.
This is the second time, in less than eight years, that Stward Agency has seen its attempt to lease that area thwarted.
Previously, it had a contract with the AMP, agreed upon on June 25, 2018, but the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) annulled it on August 23, 2021, precisely because it did not have the compatibility permit from the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) .
In the annulled contract, it was agreed that the AMP would receive a fixed monthly fee of 25 cents per square meter, with an annual increase of 5%. In total, over three years, Stward Agency would have paid just over $18,914 in exchange for occupying a prime space in one of the country’s areas with the greatest tourism potential, very close to the Amador cruise ship terminal and the Brisas de Amador commercial project . Additionally, the concessionaire agreed to invest $1.5 million and allocate nearly $62,000 to community and social projects.
Stward Agency, Inc. is part of Stward Corporation, a conglomerate that promotes itself as a leader in the maritime sector in Panama. Through its various subsidiaries, it offers boating, bunkering , tugboat, training, and certification services, among others. Its president and legal representative is Pablo Torres Chong , cousin of former PRD representative and party leader Ricardo Torres .
China announced Monday that its regulatory body will review “in accordance with law” the agreement for the sale of the Panamanian ports of Balboa and Cristobal by Hong Kong group CK Hutchison to the U.S. consortium led by BlackRock , and expressed its rejection of any attempt at “economic coercion.”
In a press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated that the State Administration for Market Regulation “is aware of this transaction and will review it in accordance with the law, to safeguard fair market competition and protect the public interest.”
Lin added that China “firmly opposes any actions that use economic coercion, bullying, or hegemony to infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of other countries.”
The agreement, valued at approximately $23 billion, provides for the transfer of 90% of the stake in the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, currently operated by CK Hutchison.
The operation has been described by US President Donald Trump as a “recovery” of US control over the Panama Canal, and has raised concerns in Beijing, which sees the move as a loss of influence in a strategic enclave.
China’s antitrust regulator announced Friday that it would review the deal, while state-linked media and official accounts have compared the transaction to “handing a knife to a rival.”
Panamanian authorities, for their part, have insisted that this is a transaction between private companies that still requires official approval.
President José Raúl Mulino described security cooperation among the entities responsible for port security as minimal and deficient, and has called a meeting with the National Customs Authority, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), and the Colón Free Trade Zone (CFT) for next week.
In his comments, which were made through his X account, Mulino clarifies that the ports belong to the State and that the concessionaires must comply with their obligations, referring to possible security deficiencies.
In recent months, Panama’s Pacific and Atlantic ports have been the target of multiple seizures of drug shipments, most of which are destined for the European market.
Just last Monday, the National Aeronaval Service (Senan) seized 357 kilos of drugs inside a container in transit through a port in the province of Colón, bound for Los Angeles, United States.
Also, on November 1, 2024, Customs located a batch of 335 boxes containing a total of 183,202 counterfeit one-balboa coins from China, which entered the country in a container, in a warehouse in Chilibre, Panama province.
Then, on December 31, 2024, Customs authorities seized a shipment of 32,130 pounds of rice from China, which was brought into the country by counterfeiting a Panamanian brand.
Authorities have also detected the illegal introduction of weapon parts through the courier system , which are then assembled and sold on the black market.
The National Aeronaval Service (Senan) reported that so far this year they have seized at least 16,000 kilos of drugs in 39 operations carried out nationwide.
According to data from Senan, significant seizures of illicit substances were carried out in recent hours, resulting in the confiscation of 1,594 packages of drugs.
The agency reported that one of the actions took place southeast of Punta Mala, Los Santos province, where a boat manned by four people was detected. Upon noticing the presence of police officers, they attempted to evade pursuit by throwing several packages into the sea.
However, the boat was stopped and the crew apprehended. Some of the packages thrown into the water were also recovered.
With the coordination of the Herrera and Los Santos Drug Prosecutor’s Office, the vessel, the detainees, and the seized material were transferred to the Mensabé Naval Air Station (Los Santos), where 31 packages containing a total of 1,237 drug packages were counted.
Meanwhile, at a port on the Atlantic coast, personnel from the Port Intelligence Section located a shipment hidden inside a container.
Upon verification, 10 packages (a total of 357 parcels) were detected on a merchant ship from Los Angeles, United States, with a transshipment in Panama and a final destination in the port of Antwerp, Belgium.