Santo Domingo.- The prosecutor and deputy director of Persecution, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, stressed that the court rejected all the requests for pure and simple release, arguing that there was no connection, since the evidence of this request for a measure of coercion, after the presentation of the investigation by the Public Ministry, “are more than enough for this stage, that is to say that all those requests were absolutely rejected.”
Regarding Judge Kenya Romero’s decision, Berenice Reynoso said it demonstrates the solidity of the file presented by the Public Ministry since the court found that there was sufficient evidence to impose coercive measures on the 20 defendants in this network of corruption and the declaration of the complexity of the process,
“We think that the court’s decision corroborates what the Public Ministry has said about the seriousness and forcefulness of the investigation. Virtually all bars have up to three lawyers, but they were unable to make even a single profit from incidents. By virtue of the protection of due process, the large amount of evidence and the consistency of the investigation carried out by the Public Ministry. The decision issued by the magistrate, which varied some of the motions requested by the Public Ministry, arguing in some cases health situations, medical records, and family situations presented by some of the defendants whose motion was changed of the preventive detention that the Public Ministry had carried out,” said Berenice Reynoso.
The deputy attorney was blunt in pointing out that this investigation is ongoing and that, as the Attorney General of the Republic, Miriam Germán Brito, has indicated, anyone who has committed an illegal act will be brought before the courts.
“In relation to whether there will be more defendants, this is an investigation in progress, the policy of this Public Ministry, which is directed by magistrate Miriam Germán Brito, is that anyone who has committed their criminal responsibility will be persecuted by the Public Ministry, according to to the rule of law, but making all the effort that this team probably makes, working 18 hours a day to work on strong cases.”
The director of Persecution of the Public Ministry said that in the next few hours, the prosecution body would ask the Supreme Court of Justice for a special judge to know the facts related to deputy Sergio Moya, mentioned in the Calamar Case.
“Everyone against whom the Public Ministry has evidence, in relation to that legislator that you refer to, in the next few hours the Public Ministry will request an investigating judge for the fines to formally begin the investigation,” said Berenice Reynoso, who speaks to the press after reading the decision on the request for a measure of coercion against the defendants in Operación Squid, at the Ciudad Nueva Palace of Justice.
In its decision, the court issued 18 months of preventive detention against the former Minister of Finance, Donald Guerrero, and the former Administrative Minister of the Presidency, José Ramón Peralta, who will comply with the measure at the Najayo Hombres Correction and Rehabilitation Center and the former Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo was placed under house arrest, an economic guarantee of 20 million pesos, and an impediment to leaving the country.
