Colombia has granted asylum to Panama's former President Ricardo Martinelli, according to Colombian authorities. Two sources close to the ex-president confirmed that he has departed the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City en route to Colombia. Martinelli was sentenced to over ten years in prison in Panama for money laundering.

He had been residing in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City since February of the previous year, following the confirmation of his sentence by Panama's Supreme Court. Panamanian authorities issued a statement indicating that they offered the former president safe passage from the embassy to a local airport. This offer was made in "full compliance with the obligations set forth in the 1928 Convention on Asylum and the 1933 Convention on Political Asylum."

Colombia's foreign ministry stated that the decision to grant asylum to Martinelli aligns with "Colombia's humanist tradition of protecting people who are persecuted for political reasons."