Panama rejects Interpol request by judicial branch for 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) -Panama's police said on Sunday they had rejected a request by the judiciary branch to seek a red notice by Interpol for former President Ricardo Martinelli, on the grounds that this is prohibited for refugees or political asylum seekers.

Martinelli, who was president of the Central American nation from 2009 to 2014, has been living inside Nicaragua's embassy in Panama City since the country's government moved to arrest him after a court found him guilty of money laundering.