DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Victor Manuel Rocha, the 73-year old former attache d’affaires of the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic and president of Barrick Gold in the Dominican Republic, has pleaded not guilty for spy charges on Wednesday, 14 February 2024. Rocha is a naturalized Dominican citizen by marriage. As reported, he used his Dominican passport to travel to Cuba.

The accusations date back to 1 December 2023.

CBS News reported that Victor Manuel Rocha, also a former US ambassador to Bolivia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on 5 December 2023 on charges that he allegedly spied for Cuba’s intelligence agency for four decades.

In a Florida court, Rocha announced he intends to plead not guilty. The initial court appearance to hear the charges against him has been postponed twice since December.