Former Panama president's sons return after U.S. conviction for money laundering

FILE PHOTO: Ricardo Alberto Martinelli, son of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli, leaves after a hearing where he accepted extradition to the U.S. on money laundering charges, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Two sons of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli returned to their country on Wednesday, after serving a sentence in the United States for money laundering in a case linked to the Odebrecht scandal, a spokesperson for the family said.

The sons of Martinelli - Luis Enrique Martinelli and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli - pleaded guilty of acting as intermediaries for some $28 million in bribes paid by Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht to a Panamanian official while their father was president from 2009 to 2014.