Farm rancher Luis Yanguela is demanding an apology from the government for the abuse of power by the police commander of San Francisco de Macoris. General Luis Martin Rodriguez Florimon arrested Yanguela supposedly for having defamed President Hipolito Mejia during a TV show. The arrest was in violation of the law because the police had no court order. Yanguela was brought to Santo Domingo and released after Attorney General Virgilio Rosa confirmed that the charge made by the police was false. Yanguela had criticized government sectors on TV for not applying Law 56-01 which orders compensation be paid to farm producers. He also criticized Senate President Ramon Alburquerque for highlighting the law as a government achievement. Yanguela complained that the ruling party was applying worse methods than the ones it had criticized during the Balaguer regimes.
