PANAMA CITY - A Panamanian judge has ordered the pre-trial detention of former President Ricardo Martinelli, who is hiding from authorities in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City after receiving asylum from the neighboring nation.

Martinelli is facing a nearly 11-year prison sentence on a 2023 money-laundering conviction. The order for his capture on Thursday is in relation to the same case, known as "New Business," Panama's top court said in a statement. REUTERS