PANAMA CITY, June 4 (Reuters) - Panama's former President Ricardo Martinelli was on Sunday chosen as the presidential candidate for his party Realizando Metas (RM) in next year's elections.
Martinelli - along with his sons - is also charged in Panama for his alleged involvement in laundering millions of dollars in bribes from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
"The only way to get me out of the presidential race is by impeachment ... they're going to have to kill me," Martinelli said.
The Untied States has barred Martinelli from entering the North American country, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accusing him of accepting bribes.
Reporting by Elida Moreno Writing by Oliver Griffin Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Ricardo Martinelli, Realizando, Martinelli, Antony Blinken, Elida Moreno, Oliver Griffin, Shri Navaratnam
Organizations:
PANAMA CITY, U.S, Thomson
Locations:
PANAMA, Panama, American