Panama judge orders pre-trial detention of former President Martinelli

FILE PHOTO: Panama's former President Ricardo Martinelli addresses the media, accompanied by his lawyer Shirley Castaneda, after filing a complaint with the General Secretariat of the National Assembly to investigate Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo and Vice President Jose Gabriel Carrizo in Panama City, Panama, February 6, 2024. REUTERS/Aris Martinez/File Photo

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - A Panamanian judge has ordered the pre-trial detention of former President Ricardo Martinelli, who is hiding from authorities in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City after receiving asylum from the neighboring nation.

Martinelli is facing a nearly 11-year prison sentence on a 2023 money-laundering conviction. The order for his capture on Thursday is in relation to the same case, known as "New Business," Panama's top court said in a statement.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Editing by Kylie Madry)