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zero nine panama six hundred thirty ninerelease: the twenty fifth of december two thousand ten0:00:13.450,0:00:18.759date: the twenty second of august two thousand nine
secret slash NoForN(enough or not) origin: embassy of Panama
subject: Martinelli wiretap quest shows dark side of new government of Panama
president Martinelli has reached out to the Embassy to request help in building infrastructure
to conduct wiretaps against ostensible security threats as well as political opponents
the Ambassador made it clear to Martinelli that the U_S_ government will continue judicialized
law enforcement wiretap programs with Panama but will not to be party to any efforts to
wiretap domestic political targets
Martinelli's actions demonstrate that he will set aside rule of law in order to achieve
his political and developmental goals. He also publicly declared that wiretapping will be
a key law enforcement tool and has submitted a draft wiretap bill to National Assembly
in a later meeting with vice president Varela, Papadimitriu,the Ambassador and
D.E.A.
Martinelli made reference to various groups of individuals who he believes should be wiretapped
and he clearly made no distinction between legitimate security targets and political
enemies
he proudly recounted how he had twisted the arms of casino operators and threatened
to cancel their concessions if they did not pay back their back taxes and cut their ties
to the opposition political figures who had granted their generous concessions 0:01:39.230,0:01:45.260He chided of the ambassador for being too legal in her approach to the issue of wiretaps 0:01:45.260,0:01:50.060Comments: Martinelli's penchant for bullying and blackmail may have led him to supermarket stardom but
is hardly statesmanlike.. he risks losing support of his backers in the panamanian elite and
business communities Martinelli is not a member of Panama's traditional elite and he could
be on thin ice if his anti-corruption measures are seen primarily as 0:02:07.070,0:02:07.320shakedowns for fast cash...