Guatemalan authorities carry out prison operation to stop an alleged escape plan by the Martinelli brothers

(CNN Spanish) – The Guatemalan authorities carried out this Thursday a search in the military prison of Mariscal Zavala, according to what they said to stop an escape plan of Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli, sons of the former president of Panama Ricardo Martinelli, with preventive detention in this country since July of 2020.

The Minister of the Interior of GuatemalaGendry Reyes told CNN that the operation was carried out “based on an intelligence process with international agencies with the United States because there was information that the Martinelli brothers planned their escape from the prison.”

CNN is attempting to contact the Martinelli brothers’ attorneys to obtain their reaction to this complaint.

Luis Enrique and Ricardo Alberto Martinelli were arrested in July 2020 at La Aurora International Airport, in Guatemala City, when they passed through the Immigration Department with the intention of boarding a plane bound for Panama.

At the time, the National Police of Guatemala said in a statement that “these people, upon being identified, are notified of a provisional arrest warrant for the purpose of Extradition dated July 3 of this year for the reason of conspiracy to commit money laundering. involving a specific activity according to the United States code ”.

From Panama, regarding the alleged escape plan, the lawyer for the Martinelli family, Carlos Carrillo, told CNN he had no knowledge of the matter. When approached on the subject, the spokesman for the Martinelli family, Luis Eduardo Camacho, expressed the same over the telephone, that they had no knowledge. CNN is investigating the defense position of the Martinelli brothers in Guatemala.

For her part, Marta de Martinelli, mother of the Martinelli brothers, said on Twitter that there was no escape attempt and that it was a “general search throughout the prison, which is usual there.”

A Guatemalan court authorized the extradition of Luis Enrique Martinelli weeks ago, but his defense appealed and is awaiting resolution. As for Ricardo Alberto, so far no hearing has been held to define his extradition.

Following their arrest in July, the Martinelli brothers’ attorney said their clients “are completely unaware of what this US accusation is about and consider that the procedure for their arrest was inadequate.”

At that time, the Martinelli Linares family said in a statement: “We trust that the legal situation of the Martinelli brothers, in the Republic of Guatemala, will be resolved as soon as possible, so that they continue the process of returning to Panama, with the in order to attend the processes for which they have been cited ”.