Panama’s Odebrecht Trial Exposes Deep Corruption Tied to Former President Martinelli

After years of delays and bureaucratic hurdles, the Odebrecht corruption trial in Panama is reaching its critical conclusion. At the center stands former President Ricardo Martinelli, whose alleged involvement in a vast bribery scheme with the Brazilian construction giant has been meticulously outlined by Panamanian prosecutors using evidence from U.S., Andorran, and Brazilian sources. What Does This Mean for Panama and America’s Security? The implications go far beyond Panama’s borders. The case exemplifies how transnational corruption networks erode national sovereignty and undercut honest governance in our hemisphere—particularly troubling for the United States, which depends on stable, reliable partners in the...