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U.S. Marshals Service arrests former Panamanian president

By Andrew V. Pestano
Ricardo Martinelli, the former president of Panama, was arrested on Monday near his Coral Gables, Fla., home due to an extradition request from the Panamanian government. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Ricardo Martinelli, the former president of Panama, was arrested on Monday near his Coral Gables, Fla., home due to an extradition request from the Panamanian government. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

June 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marshals Service said Ricardo Martinelli, the former president of Panama, was arrested near Coral Gables, Fla., over an extradition warrant.

Martinelli, 65, is being held in Miami's Federal Detention Center and is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, CBS 4 reported.

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Martinelli, who was president from 2009 until 2014, faces corruption and political espionage in Panama, which in September issued an extradition request to the United States for the former president.

Prosecutors in Panama accuse Martinelli of spying on trade union activists, politicians, lawyers, doctors and business people.

Martinelli denies the accusations and alleges Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela is leading a political witch hunt against him. The cases against Martinelli in Panama have stalled in courts.

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