London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Dec 04, 2025

The FBI identifies more suspicious transactions connected to Martinelli brothers

The FBI identifies more suspicious transactions connected to Martinelli brothers

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified more suspicious transactions in the criminal complaint it filed against Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares, who face charges in a New York court of an alleged conspiracy to launder Odebrecht money.
FBI Special Agent Michael Lewandowski lists four financial transactions, in a document he filed with the court on Monday, July 20, which is an amendment to the original complaint that was filed on June 27. Nine days later, the two Martinelli Linares brothers were detained in Guatemala, at the request of the United States, at a time when they intended to board a private flight to Panama. Since then, they have been waiting in a military prison for their eventual extradition to the United States to be defined.

According to the document signed by Lewandowski, these transactions were carried out, 'knowingly that they represented the product of some illegal activity' and with the intention of 'concealing their nature, source and beneficiary'.

It details that on November 12 and December 10, 2013, the two brothers transferred $ 899,978.32 and $ 30,887.21, respectively, from a financial institution located in Switzerland to a U.S. bank with correspondent accounts in New York.

Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares is also credited with two transfers: one, on February 11, 2013, for $346,500, and another, on August 26, 2015, for $ 570,000, both made from a Swiss bank to a US bank with correspondent accounts in New York, and from there - finally - to accounts in New Jersey and Florida, respectively.

The FBI handles information from a New York broker that shows that the $ 346,500 transferred by Luis Enrique on February 11, 2013, is part of the payment for the purchase of a yacht.

Regarding the $ 570,000 transferred on August 26, 2015, property transaction records indicate that they correspond to the payment of an apartment in Miami , Florida, for a company, for the benefit of Luis Enrique.

These transfers would have been channeled through offshore companies incorporated in foreign jurisdictions, such as the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.

In total, the two sons of former President Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal reportedly participated as "intermediaries" in bribery payments totaling $28 million, "under the leadership of Odebrecht," according to the original complaint that the FBI delivered to the court on April 27. last june. The mony would have benefited a Panamanian public servant, whose name is not listed at the moment in the US indictment, but who is described as "an officer with a very high position in the Panamanian government" between 2009 and 2014 – period corresponding to the presidential mandate of Martinelli Berrocal – and, in addition, is a “close relative” of the two accused.

The indictment remains sealed "until second order", at the request of the FBI and by order of Judge Robert M. Levy. The US Department of Justice reported that the brothers each face a charge of allegedly conspiring to launder money as a result of the bribes Odebrecht confessed to having paid in Panama. All payments would have occurred between August 2009 and September 2015, and not until January 2014, as the FBI originally reported to the judge.

Of the $ 28 million paid in bribes; $19 million was transferred using accounts in correspondent banks in the United States, the majority in New York.

In Panama, the former president and his two children are required for investigation by the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, which since 2017 investigates the bribes that Odebrecht paid in the country. The Second Superior Court of Justice benefited the children with bonds of $2 million each. As for the father, he has not attended an investigation and the last thing that was known is that he presented a medical disability for 60 days, in force until the beginning of September.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Inquiry Finds Putin ‘Morally Responsible’ for 2018 Novichok Death — London Imposes Broad Sanctions on GRU
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
×