Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal, the former President of Panama, was found guilty by the Panamanian court on July 18, 2023. He has been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for money laundering and has been ordered to pay a fine of USD 19.20 million.

In 2010, Martinelli allegedly misappropriated public funds to acquire the media company Editora Panamá América S.A. (Epasa). This was accomplished through both domestic and international transactions, utilizing a bank account belonging to the company named New Business Services Limited. The total amount collected for the purchase amounted to USD 43.9 million.

In 2017, authorities initiated an investigation into the case commonly referred to as the “New Business” case.