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) - Panamanian ex-President Ricardo Martinelli and his team have appealed an electoral court's decision finding him ineligible to run in this year's presidential elections, Martinelli's lawyer told Reuters on Thursday.
The court declared him ineligible earlier this week, citing his inability to run due to a nearly 11-year prison sentence for money laundering.
