Martinelli has been embroiled in financial scandals and eventually was stated that the then President BECAME SHAREHOLDER OF COMPANIES AND SUBSIDIARIES PETAQUILLA. WHAT TO DO HIS ADMINISTRATION HAD WITH THIS?
The personal involvement of Ricardo Martinelli has ruined Petaquilla and its subsidiaries. So far today that the national authorities allowed it, Petaquilla was an operating company, with a debt of $ 6 million, income exceeded $ 60 million and generated a profit that exceeded $ 18 million. This is stated in the affidavit of fiscal 2009, which ends in April 2010, a period in which I leave the post of president of the company. President Martinelli takes possession through their clerks on 1 July 2009. In September of that same year (two months after his inauguration) Ricardo Quijano, (then Minister of Commerce), on behalf of President Martinelli, I verbally requested the resignation as president and legal representative of the company Petaquilla Minerals LTD (Canada-based mother company) and Petaquilla Gold SA, a subsidiary based in Panama. The reasons were clear, he needed to place their chips within the company.
HOW YOU ANSWERED AT THAT TIME A Ricardo Quijano?
I replied that this was not my decision, it had to consult. On 15 September 2009, under pressure from the Government, he resigned as chairman of the Board of Petaquilla Minerals Ltd, and in November of that year resigned as President of Petaquilla Gold SA
Who were the members of these boards? WHAT TO POSITION assumed that specific situation?
The waiver decision was consulted with members. At that moment there was complete renovation of the directive as a result of excessive pressures caused by the threats of Ricardo Martinelli and his henchmen. All supported the instructions of President Martinelli, in the sense that I replaced in the presidency with Rodrigo Esquivel and include Raul Ferrer as director. The latter, presidential adviser, takes office on October 6, 2009 and jointly and exclusively with President Esquivel, managed the company for the next five years, until September 2014, as it can prove the accounts of the company in the different banks in listed as being authorized these two gentlemen together with the aforementioned directors were part of the conspiracy signatures.
DOES evidence to prove it?
At this time the anti-corruption prosecutor accepted as evidence for the case that links me to the demand of the Social Security Fund bank accounts of that period. All this on the record. Seven weeks later, the shareholders, financiers and banks, demand again my refund to the direction of the company, leaving as chairman of the board of Petaquilla Minerals Ltd, but not of Petaquilla Gold SA, which is the management company principal with its subsidiary PDI.
Are there any documents, letters, e SHAREHOLDERS ON THIS?
Yes, there are in our archives in Canada and Panama, and can be claimed by EEW by the prosecutors in charge of the dossier.
HOW they DO pressured to step down?
Who granted the business license production begins the mining marketing is the government. And they pressed me saying not to give up, not give authorization or license. You see, it was I who gave face to investors for more than twenty years to invest in the project, could not tell them not to want to leave a job, they are going to be affected in their investments. His confidence was not to be disappointed by who since 1990 had been the pioneer of our mining industry, which years later would make our country a Banana Republic to a Golden Republic. It was why we chose not to be an obstacle and resign. On January 10, 2010 we received from the hands of the Panamanian government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the letter of formal authorization for the start of commercial exploitation. To reenter the board of Petaquilla Minerals Ltd, as I said, again comes the pressure. As a requirement of the Government to license commercial production in early 2010, it is again required my resignation. This requirement of President Martinelli comes through Raul Ferrer, who also said it was necessary that Richard Fifer retire to do business in Spain and not in Panama. For more than five years, his henchmen, with instructions Martinelli, represented the company, signed checks and made appointments, violating all norms of corporate governance; until September 30, 2014, when I return to take possession of the board of Petaquilla Gold, a product of the abandonment of Rodrigo Esquivel the post of President of Petaquilla Gold SA, to be facing imminent bankruptcy, demand one of creditors. It is at that time that I take the responsibility of the presidency to safeguard the assets of the company.
Can you explain?
Well, it is public knowledge, as it was in all the media that one of our creditors filed a bankruptcy which was admitted on August 28, 2014. It is clear that from January 2010 until the end of August 2014, Petaquilla Gold SA and P.D.I. (Panama Infrastructure Development) were represented by Rodrigo Esquivel and Raul Ferrer, the president and legal representative and director of the board, respectively. So it is in the books of the Public Registry of Panama and the reports of banks show that I had not even signed in the accounts of banks since in all national and international accounts, who signed were Rodrigo Esquivel and Raul Ferrer . I spent outside the country and it shows my passport with stamps constant output and input the country and presented as evidence in various legal cases.
DO YOU HAVE YOUR TASTE LIKE statement?
I have in my possession email exchanges, which Mr. Ferrer makes me all the instructions detailed in this interview today and that once introduce as evidence in cases that are recognized me.
WOULD YOU TO YOU FOR involved decisions made in companies?
No. During this time the services of contractors and builders were hired and can be seen clearly in our reports that expenses were increased particularly through service contracts including hours of machinery, worked out of time, plus time on unjustified. He handled more a political rather than business administration. The situation was the expression of the pressure of multinational powers, supported by the Panamanian government against entrepreneurs and domestic investors. To make it clear who was boss in the eyes of our neighboring company Minera Panama, August 21, 2012, Jochen Tilk, CEO worldwide (CEO) of INMET and 80% of Minera Panama and Steve Astritis, general counsel owner also INMET, with the president of Minera Panama, Steve Botts, cited Raul Ferrer breakfast alone and not to any other manager or director. The meeting focused on claim Ferrer absurd actions taken in the direction of the company product of the pressures exerted by the Martinelli government, forcing it to cooperate on material issues, preventing the construction of the proposed 6 billion dollars. There were, in addition, legal issues of law by Petaquilla Minerals that prevented the construction of the Cobre Panama project. A few weeks of this action, September 5, 2012, a hostile takeover of Petaquilla Minerals Ltd. President Martinelli had for more than a year ago the position that Jochen Tilk should be removed from office in INMET starts. This intervention resulted in October 2012 by Ferrer and Raul Rodrigo Esquivel, together with Ricardo Martinelli, demanded that the sale price had to be higher. This meeting is a reality and confirms who or who really was or were the or those with the power company. Between October 29 and November 5 the same year, Raul Ferrer, on behalf of Ricardo Martinelli, he informed Jochen Tilk that all business processes INMET be blocked if let loose the hostile takeover or increased the offer price. On Sunday November 4, 2012, Rodrigo Esquivel and Raul Ferrer Jochen Tilk contacted by phone and canceled all negotiations that had made Joao Manuel (CEO of Petaquilla Minerals Ltd., and corporately, the highest officer with operational responsibility for the company), with INMET, and even threatened with dismissal effective in the coming days. It is here when Raul Ferrer tour the instruction that "under no circumstances may receive less than $ 300 million, pulling down the offer negotiated by the CEO of $ 210 million." On November 5 he expired time of the offer by Inmet to Petaquilla. The offer of $ 210 million for the purchase of Petaquilla has been terminated. Again, all this confirms who or who were the ones who ran the company.
