Panama City, Nov 10 (AP) Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli has won his second acquittal on charges that he tapped the phones of opponents and journalists.

Martinelli, who served from 2009 to 2014, went on trial in July, after he was acquitted of similar charges in 2019.

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In August 2019, he was acquitted on espionage and embezzlement charges and released from custody. The court found that prosecutors had violated the due process after a five-month trial. The court also criticised the prosecution's evidence.

But the government won on appeal, arguing there were sufficient elements for a new trial, which started in July.

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"Seven years of this torture," Martinelli said after the verdict was announced on Tuesday. "I give thanks to God, and to the Panamanian justice system. I have suffered a lot and I don't want what happened to me to happen to any Panamanian."

The owner of a supermarket chain, Martinelli has hopes of running again for the presidency in 2024. He described the charges as political persecution and an attempt to stop him from running again.

As president, Martinelli allegedly spent millions of dollars on sophisticated spying equipment from Israel, including the spyware Pegasus. Prosecutors claimed he intercepted communications from opposition politicians and others, something the defense denied. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)