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PANAMA CITY (AP) — A spokesman for former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli says the ex-leader is dropping his legal efforts to fight extradition from the United States to Panama.
Luis Eduardo Camacho confirms that Martinelli shared his decision through a handwritten note from jail in Miami.
Panamanian authorities want to prosecute the 66-year-old Martinelli for embezzlement and espionage he allegedly carried out against his political opponents during his 2009 to 2014 term in office.
Newspaper La Prensa reported that Martinelli lawyer Sydney Sitton said he would inform a federal appeals court in Atlanta on Thursday of his client's decision.
Martinelli has been jailed since his June 2017 arrest.
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