Operation Squid: Most important corruption case pre-trial hearing postponed for Sunday, 27 March

[Dolores]

The hearing for preventive trial measures against the three cabinet ministers of the Danilo Medina administration and others was postponed for Sunday, 27 March 2023. The document of around 2,000 pages was delivered on Monday and now needs to be reviewed by the defense lawyers. The ministers are former Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero, former Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jose Ramon Peralta and former Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo.

Adjunct Attorney General, prosecutor Yeni Berenice Reynoso has said the findings and evidence included in the file are “unprecedented.” She called for the case to be declared complex to give 18 months for the investigations to advance. The irregularities are under investigation since the appointment of Attorney General Miriam German, and prosecutors Yeni Berenice Reynoso and Wilson Camacho to...

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[JD Jones]

The stories of witnesses about these guys transporting billions in armored trucks are incredible.

 

[aarhus]

The stories of witnesses about these guys transporting billions in armored trucks are incredible.

Where is the money now ?

 

[JD Jones]

Where is the money now ?

Let's wait for the investigation to tell us.

 

[aarhus]

Let's wait for the investigation to tell us.

My feeling is they is they never really get to that and the biggest masterminds are never caught. Also that it’s pretty much the same people under the different governments.

 

[CristoRey]

The stories of witnesses about these guys transporting billions in armored trucks are incredible.

Hypothetically speaking...
If this country were run by a mafia prior to the current administration, all three of these guys would have been underbosses. This is a huge gamble for Team Luis in my opinion.

 

[Lucifer]

The witnesses have claimed that in 2019, a year prior to the general elections, the former president, Danilo Medina, summoned four of his ministers and told them the campaign needed money, and they formulated a plan to syphon funds from the Hacienda Ministry and others.

So, this is no mystery: former head of State, Danilo Medina, is exhibit "A".

 

[Kipling333]

Where is the money now ?

It is not a difficult task to follow a money trail but Berenice says she needs 18 months and this even after the investigators have had more than two years . If these men are guilty then make them pay for their sins but at present it looks like a case of lock them up and try to pin something on them. Graham Greene wrote novels about this sort of stuff and even John Mortimer in his Rumpole court stories sent Rumpole to a new state in Africa to defend a former president on trumped up charges . This behaviour is endemic in Latin countries and many backward African countries.

 

[NanSanPedro]

It is not a difficult task to follow a money trail but Berenice says she needs 18 months and this even after the investigators have had more than two years . If these men are guilty then make them pay for their sins but at present it looks like a case of lock them up and try to pin something on them. Graham Greene wrote novels about this sort of stuff and even John Mortimer in his Rumpole court stories sent Rumpole to a new state in Africa to defend a former president on trumped up charges . This behaviour is endemic in Latin countries and many backward African countries.

...and certain alleged 1st world countries...

 

[MariaRubia]

The real effect of this type of case is not on the guys who get locked up. It's a ripple going right through government that the rules have now changed. I've definitely noticed a big difference under Abinader's government, slowly slowly things are becoming less corrupt, everyone is having to play by the same rules, not the "do you know who I am" game. A few years ago, if you wanted anything in government, you had to slip someone some money. These days it's definitely not the norm, at least as far as I'm concerned.

I'm sure there is still plenty of corruption, but I think any government minister these days is less likely to want to put his hand in the register. That can only be a good thing, and long overdue. There's plenty of money in this country, and the sooner those in power stop being so greedy and so corrupt, the sooner the country will grow up and live its true potential.

 

[MariaRubia]

Hypothetically speaking...
If this country were run by a mafia prior to the current administration, all three of these guys would have been underbosses. This is a huge gamble for Team Luis in my opinion.

Indeed, very very hypothetically...

 

[aarhus]

Indeed, very very hypothetically...

Not at all

 

[RDKNIGHT]

The real effect of this type of case is not on the guys who get locked up. It's a ripple going right through government that the rules have now changed. I've definitely noticed a big difference under Abinader's government, slowly slowly things are becoming less corrupt, everyone is having to play by the same rules, not the "do you know who I am" game. A few years ago, if you wanted anything in government, you had to slip someone some money. These days it's definitely not the norm, at least as far as I'm concerned.

I'm sure there is still plenty of corruption, but I think any government minister these days is less likely to want to put his hand in the register. That can only be a good thing, and long overdue. There's plenty of money in this country, and the sooner those in power stop being so greedy and so corrupt, the sooner the country will grow up and live its true potential.

I still had to slip Amet 500 pesos the other day

 

[aarhus]

I still had to slip Amet 500 pesos the other day

I also really doubt anything has changed.

 

[CristoRey]

Not at all

Lol, I think she underatands.

 

[bachata]

Where is the money now ?

Buried!

JJ

 

[MariaRubia]

Where is the money now ?

What money? Mi amor, there never was any money. They thought those suitcases were stuffed to the brim with cash, but when they actually counted it, turns out that most of it was actually old newspapers and there was just a little tiny bit of money in there. And that's what the investigators used to buy themselves a Plato del Dia, a couple of cervezas bien frias and to pay for their Uber home. And it didn't even cover all of that, Miguel had to get a concho.

So, anyway mi amor, all sorted now, nothing more to see here, ya tu sabes.

 

[aarhus]

What money? Mi amor, there never was any money. They thought those suitcases were stuffed to the brim with cash, but when they actually counted it, turns out that most of it was actually old newspapers and there was just a little tiny bit of money in there. And that's what the investigators used to buy themselves a Plato del Dia, a couple of cervezas bien frias and to pay for their Uber home. And it didn't even cover all of that, Miguel had to get a concho.

So, anyway mi amor, all sorted now, nothing more to see here, ya tu sabes.

Sure

 

[JD Jones]

What money? Mi amor, there never was any money. They thought those suitcases were stuffed to the brim with cash, but when they actually counted it, turns out that most of it was actually old newspapers and there was just a little tiny bit of money in there. And that's what the investigators used to buy themselves a Plato del Dia, a couple of cervezas bien frias and to pay for their Uber home. And it didn't even cover all of that, Miguel had to get a concho.

So, anyway mi amor, all sorted now, nothing more to see here, ya tu sabes.

Ha ha.. Gotta love it. Let's do lunch, dahling..

The Special Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA) seized around 25 high-end vehicles seized during the 40 raids carried out against the members of Operation Squid.

Lujosa flotilla de vehículos de alta gama incautada a encartados en Operación Calamar

La Procuraduría Especializada de Persecución de la Corrupción Administrativa (PEPCA) se incautó de alrededor de 25 vehículos de alta gama

n.com.do

 

[CristoRey]

Ha ha.. Gotta love it. Let's do lunch, dahling..

The Special Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA) seized around 25 high-end vehicles seized during the 40 raids carried out against the members of Operation Squid.

They confiscated more vehicles than this during Operation Discovery and from what I've been told the majority of them have already been returned to their owners.

From Operation Car Wash involving Odebrecht to Operation Coral to Operation Flacon to their most recent one, along with several others over the last decade, I have yet to see a single person convicted and sent to prision for 10, 20+ years.

With no real deterant in place to discourage corruption I expect to see more of it going forward, not less regardless of which political party is in office.