Unresolved cases

What the courts left unresolved: investigations that expired, cases shelved for lack of action, indictments annulled and never refiled, rulings nobody enforced. We measure how long each case has been open and who was supposed to move it. Here the protagonist is not the accused but the dormant file.

José Domingo Arias: Panama’s Odebrecht trial ended in February 2026, and the verdict has yet to be read—what’s missing and what’s at stake

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José Domingo Arias is the only defendant in this case whose trial has already concluded and whose sentence remains unknown. The regular trial regarding the Odebrecht bribery scheme in Panama concluded on February 27, 2026. On that day, Prosecutor Ruth Morcillo sought convictions for money laundering against him and 15 other defendants. More than seven … Read more about José Domingo Arias: Panama’s Odebrecht trial ended in February 2026, and the verdict has yet to be read—what’s missing and what’s at stake

Alejandro Sinibaldi: Five corruption cases, six years since his surrender, and no trial—what’s needed to close his case, and what’s holding it up?

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Alejandro Sinibaldi turned himself in to Guatemalan authorities on August 24, 2020, with at least eight arrest warrants outstanding. Six years later, none of his five cases has gone to trial. Nor has any resulted in an acquittal. The former communications minister lives in a legal limbo that Guatemalan courts repeatedly open and close. In … Read more about Alejandro Sinibaldi: Five corruption cases, six years since his surrender, and no trial—what’s needed to close his case, and what’s holding it up?

Juan Carlos Varela: The Odebrecht Case That Panama Prosecuted for Others but Not for Him—What’s Needed to Close It and What’s Holding It Up

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Juan Carlos Varela watched as the trial over the Odebrecht bribery scandal in Panama began, proceeded, and concluded without him. The ordinary proceedings against Ricardo Martinelli and his former ministers ended on February 27, 2026. In contrast, Varela’s case was still in the evidence-admissibility phase before the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court as of … Read more about Juan Carlos Varela: The Odebrecht Case That Panama Prosecuted for Others but Not for Him—What’s Needed to Close It and What’s Holding It Up

Luis Fernando Andrade: The Case That the Attorney General’s Office Closed Three Times but the Criminal Justice System Has Not Closed Even Once—What’s Missing and What to Watch For

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Luis Fernando Andrade was arrested at his home in late 2017. Nine years later, no criminal judge has ruled on whether he is guilty or innocent. Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s Office has removed him from office and barred him from holding public office three times—in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The former president of the National … Read more about Luis Fernando Andrade: The Case That the Attorney General’s Office Closed Three Times but the Criminal Justice System Has Not Closed Even Once—What’s Missing and What to Watch For

Pedro Pablo Kuczynski: The Never-Ending Westfield Trial, the IIRSA Norte Investigation That Has Yet to Lead to Charges, and the Case That Was Dismissed in 2026

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Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is 87 years old and faces two ongoing legal proceedings with no end in sight. The first is the trial regarding Westfield Capital, the company through which he billed Odebrecht while he was a minister. It began more than seven years after his preliminary detention in April 2019 and remains unresolved. The … Read more about Pedro Pablo Kuczynski: The Never-Ending Westfield Trial, the IIRSA Norte Investigation That Has Yet to Lead to Charges, and the Case That Was Dismissed in 2026

Susana Villarán: The Case That Remains Unresolved Seven Years After the Confession—What’s Needed for a Verdict, and What Could Overturn It Before Then

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On May 11, 2019, Susana Villarán confessed that she had accepted US$10 million from Odebrecht and OAS for her campaigns. Seven years later, no verdict has been handed down. Her trial began on September 23, 2025, and is still ongoing. The second case, involving the Rutas de Lima tolls, doesn’t even have an indictment yet. … Read more about Susana Villarán: The Case That Remains Unresolved Seven Years After the Confession—What’s Needed for a Verdict, and What Could Overturn It Before Then