Of all of the alleged acts of corruption that have been sent to the Dominican courts for hearings, only three have actually received a verdict. Former President Salvador Jorge Blanco was sentenced to 20 years, appealed the case and was pardoned by President Hipolito Mejia. Former deputy Rafael Flores Estrella was accused of mishandling funds for the 1401 account that were supposed to be used for social works to benefit the poor, and his case was dismissed. Recently, deputy Radhames Ramos Garcia, called “Chinese” Ramos by the local press, was sentenced to prison in Najayo. The list of pending cases or cases that were dismissed is very long. For example Flores Estrella escaped a prejudicial verdict because the Supreme Court said that as a deputy he was exempt from judicial punishment. The “Chino” Ramos, accused of trafficking 16 Chinese across the Dominican-Haitian border, was tried and convicted. However, the case against Victor Tio Fernandez and ten other officials of the Mejia administration which involved the irregular sale of state-owned lands is still pending. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
There are customs fraud cases, such as that pending against Anisia Rissi and several of her officials. The case came about at the direct request of President Balaguer. The now infamous Pedro Julio Goico Guerrero, along with Manuel Antun Battle and the Haitian Frederick Mazourca, were all still under indictment for a RD$90 million fraud involving the National Lottery, until the Lottery’s legal advisor told the courts that the Lottery was not going to pursue the case. Currently, former President Hipolito Mejia and former chief of Police, Jaime Marte Martinez have cases pending in the courts.