The extradited Quirino Paulino Castillo continues to generate news in the Dominican Republic. All of today’s newspapers carry at least one article on the accused drug transporter. In the Listin Diario, one of the helicopters that was confiscated was said to have been purchased by Pepe Goico, using the credit card that had been issued by the collapsed bank Baninter for the use by former President Hipolito Mejia and later passed on to his presidential public works supervisor Hernani Salazar, now a senator. Lawyer Vinicio Castillo Seman, the defense attorney for Ramon Baez Figueroa, the former head of Baninter, made the statement to clear the fact that the helicopter had not been confiscated as part of the Baninter assets.
In Hoy newspaper, retired general Rafael Gonzalez Gonzalez denied that he had used the rubber signature stamp of former Army chief of staff, general Manuel Ernesto Polanco Salvador, to facilitate the re-entry of Paulino Castillo into the army. Gonzalez Gonzalez was questioned yesterday at the District Attorney’s office in Santo Domingo.
Just the day before, former Air Force Chief of Staff, Sierra Perez denied that he had had any business dealing with Paulino Castillo.
The President’s legal advisor, lawyer Cesar Pina Toribio said that former President Hipolito Mejia has to explain just how Paulino Castillo was returned to the ranks of the Army. All of the high-ranking officers that have testified, including the former Minister of the Armed Forces, Major General Jose Miguel Soto Jimenez, have stated that they were obeying orders to reinstate Paulino Castillo.