Judge Eduardo Sanchez Ortiz has ordered the former Minister of the Armed Forces Major General Constantino Matos Villanueva to appear before a criminal court regarding his knowledge of the arrest of Narciso Gonzalez. The journalist was reported missing on 26 May 1994 shortly after publishing a very critical expose on former President Joaquin Balaguer. The lawyer for Gonzalez’s relatives, Tomas Castro, said that the order to appear is incomplete as most of the 15 persons who were suspects were not mentioned, including the director and assistant of the intelligence departments at the time. He appealed the decision that exempts from responsibility General Leonardo Reyes Bencosme who at the time was head of the intelligence service of the Air Force and his assistant Colonel Manuel Perez Volquez. The family demands an indepth investigation of the case. General Matos Villanueva maintains his innocence. He denied he ordered the arrest of Gonzalez. He told the press he is being used as a scapegoat in the case. His lawyer says that the decision is incomplete and was taken swiftly under political pressures from the Supreme Court and political sectors with influence in the government and the opposition. Diario Libre reports that if found guilty, Matos Villanueva would receive a symbolic penalty. The case would be closed.
